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Daniel Duggan's wife urges government to intervene as former pilot remains in NSW prison without local charges

Daniel Duggan's wife urges government to intervene as former pilot remains in NSW prison without local charges

Sky News AU19-07-2025
The family of Daniel Duggan, a former US Marine Corps pilot and naturalised Australian citizen, has launched a renewed appeal for his release, 1000 days since his incarceration.
Mr Duggan, 55, has been detained in the maximum-security Macquarie Correctional Centre in Bathurst, New South Wales since October 2022.
He was arrested at the request of US authorities, who allege he violated arms trafficking laws by providing flight training to Chinese military pilots in South Africa more than a decade ago.
According to American prosecutors, Mr Duggan received $100,000 for the training provided between 2010 and 2012. He has strongly rejected all allegations against him.
His wife, Saffrine Duggan, issued a fresh public plea on Thursday, directly addressing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Attorney-General Michelle Rowland.
"Today my husband and Aussie citizen Dan Duggan has now been locked up in maximum security for 1000 days, with no Australian charges, awaiting extradition to the United States," she said in a statement.
"Surely that can't stand in a free, sovereign Australia. Please Prime Minister and Attorney General, enough is enough. You need to help your fellow Aussies."
Ms Saffrine also expressed her gratitude to the community members who have shown ongoing support, saying thousands of Australians are standing by the family with "hope and belief in justice".
Mr Duggan's defence team submitted a lengthy 89-page dossier to the previous Attorney-General in August 2024, urging a halt to the extradition process.
The request was dismissed and the extradition was officially approved in December.
The case is now set to be contested in the Federal Court, with a hearing scheduled for August.
Duggan's supporters and legal team argue that his treatment raises serious concerns about due process and Australia's obligations to its citizens, particularly when no charges have been laid on home soil.
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