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The Queen v Abdirahman-Khalif

[2020] HCA 36
Judgment date
Case number
A5/2020
Before
Bell, Gageler, Keane, Nettle, Gordon JJ
Catchwords

Criminal law (Cth) – Terrorism – Membership of terrorist organisation – Where respondent convicted of offence of intentionally being member of terrorist organisation contrary to s 102.3(1) of Criminal Code (Cth) – Where s 102.1 provided "member" of terrorist organisation includes person who has taken steps to become member of organisation – Where respondent detained attempting to travel to Turkey – Where respondent's seized electronic devices contained extremist material produced by and expressing support for Islamic State – Where respondent accessed websites containing practical advice for women travelling to Islamic State-controlled territory – Where expert evidence adduced at trial as to nature, aims and ideology of Islamic State – Where conviction quashed on appeal – Whether Crown required to adduce evidence of process by which Islamic State recruited, inducted and accepted members – Whether trial judge misdirected jury as to physical and mental elements of offence – Whether summing up unbalanced.

Words and phrases – "absence of a constitution or rules of membership", "criteria of membership", "elements of the offence", "Islamic State", "member of a terrorist organisation", "membership process", "nature of terrorist organisations", "organisation", "physical and mental elements", "preparatory or anticipatory acts", "proof of membership", "steps to become a member", "terrorism", "terrorist act", "terrorist organisation", "unbalanced summing up".

Criminal Code (Cth) – ss 100.1, 102.1, 102.3.

Files
36.rtf (858.54 KB)
36.pdf (445.64 KB)