Sunday 16 January 2022
Case has long been a political issue
Court negotiates Djokovic’s visa
It will be clear in the next few hours whether tennis superstar Djokovic can compete at the Australian Open from Monday. A federal court decides on his appeal after the renewed visa withdrawal. The hearing will be broadcast live.
A federal court in Australia has begun hearing Novak Djokovic’s latest appeal to prevent his deportation. The trial is about the Serbian tennis star’s demand to overturn the Australian government’s decision to revoke his visa and expel him for lack of a corona vaccination. The 34-year-old wants to take part in the Australian Open, which begins on Monday. The three-judge session will be broadcast online, but the tennis star cannot be seen in the live stream. The hearing should be completed around noon local time, it was said at the start
Djokovic was taken into custody again on Saturday after the Australian government revoked his visa a second time. The athlete was allowed to follow a first court hearing on the same day from his lawyers’ office in Melbourne under the guard of Australian border police officers. He was later taken to a deportation hotel.
According to court documents, Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke admitted that Djokovic’s risk of infection was “slight”. However, the entry of the tennis player could lead to the disregard of corona rules in the country, “promote an anti-vaccination mood” and even contribute to “riots”. Djokovic’s lawyers accused the government of not providing evidence for this assessment.
Djokovic faces a three-year entry ban
Already upon entry on January 5, the authorities declared his visa invalid and took him to the deportation hotel. Earlier this week, a judge upheld an objection by his attorneys alleging a procedural error. Djokovic was allowed to temporarily leave the deportation hotel and train for the Australian Open.
When revoking Djokovic’s visa again, the Australian government invoked its executive powers. This makes the decision more difficult to challenge in court. With the cancellation of his visa, the tennis star faces deportation as well as a three-year entry ban in Australia.
The matter has long since become a political issue. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic repeatedly intervened and on Friday accused the Australian authorities of treating Djokovic badly. The Australian government, in turn, is concerned about the resentment that Djokovic’s entry has triggered among many citizens after they have suffered from long corona lockdowns and strict entry restrictions in recent months.
Djokovic is a self-confessed vaccination skeptic and, in his own words, has not been vaccinated against the corona virus. Despite the corona vaccination requirement for foreigners entering the country, the Serb had flown to Australia. He referred to an exemption based on his status as a recovered person after a positive corona test on December 16th.