Djokovic set to be kicked out of Australia after losing appeal


by Loren Elliott, Sudipto Ganguly and Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE, Jan 16 (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic is set to be deported from Australia after losing his appeal on Sunday against the government’s decision to cancel his visa on the grounds that his unvaccinated status posed a risk to public order in the country.

The world number one tennis player had appealed the revocation of his visa by the Australian Minister for Immigration, Alex Hawke, decided because the presence of the Serbian player risked according to the authorities to fuel anti-vaccination sentiment in the country, facing the worst wave of Covid-19 he has seen since the start of the pandemic.

An Australian court dismissed the Serbian player’s appeal on Sunday, dampening his hopes of playing and winning the 2022 Australian Open, and thus racking up a record 21 Grand Slam titles.

In a statement, Novak Djokovic said he was “extremely disappointed” with the Australian court’s decision. He added that he would respect the decision and cooperate with the authorities over his departure from Australia.

“I’m not comfortable with the spotlight for the past few weeks being on me, and hopefully now we can all focus on the game and the tournament that I love,” he said. -he adds.

The Australian Prime Minister welcomed the court’s verdict, saying it would help “keep our borders strong and Australians safe”.

Chief Magistrate James Allsop explained that the verdict was based on the legitimacy and legality of the Minister’s decision in the context of the three arguments put forward by Novak Djokovic’s defence.

“It is not within the prerogative of the court to decide on the merits or the wisdom of the decision,” he continued, adding that the three judges had reached their decision unanimously.

It’s not yet clear when the government will demand Novak Djokovic’s expulsion. His place in the table should be taken Monday by Salvatore Caruso, 150th player in the world and “lucky loser” eliminated in qualifying.

The star player, who spent the night from Saturday to Sunday in an immigration detention hotel, was escorted by immigration officials to his lawyers’ office on Sunday to attend the court hearing Virtual.

A POLITICAL ISSUE

The medical exemption that allowed the tennis player to enter Australia without being vaccinated has caused an uproar in Australia for ten days, becoming a political issue for Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the run-up to the federal election he should organize from here. next May.

During this saga, Novak Djokovic was placed in detention by the immigration service, released and then detained again.

He had been granted a visa to enter Australia on the basis of a certificate proving that he had already contracted the virus, dated December 16 and which had served as the basis for the medical exemption to allow him to take part. to the competition. The granting of this exemption was arranged through the Tennis Federation of Australia.

In a country where more than 90% of adults are vaccinated against the coronavirus, this special diet has been very badly received. The government considered that given the recent number of contaminations, the criteria were not met to grant this exemption.

The case has fueled heated debate over the right to refuse coronavirus vaccination, with Novak Djokovic becoming a symbol in some anti-vax protests, as many governments are now increasing pressure on the unvaccinated, deeming it to be the only way to protect the entire population from the pandemic. (Gilles Guillaume for the French version)




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