Twitter account run by Ms. Dhu’s family suspended days before inquest results

Twitter account run by Ms. Dhu's family suspended days before inquest results. The family of Julieka Dhu, an Indigenous Australian woman who died in police custody, is frustrated following the suspension of their Twitter account. The Twitter account's suspension matters, not least because social media has helped ensure that Ms. Dhu's death cannot be ignored. @JusticeForDhu was run by the family of Ms. Dhu; a Yamatji woman who died while under arrest in Aug. 2014. Shaun Harris, Ms. Dhu's uncle and family spokesperson, told Mashable he was bitterly disappointed by Twitter's actions after he noticed the account was suspended on Saturday. Twitter declined to share why the account was suspended. The family want CCTV footage of Ms. Dhu in custody released so the world can witness how she was treated by police — something that happened when footage of the treatment of young Indigenous prisoners by guards at Don Dale juvenile detention facility was leaked this year. While he is unsure exactly why the account was suspended, Harris noted that "it just also happened to be not 12 hours after a video of police harassing a family member of Ms. Dhu was uploaded through social networks. Despite his frustration, Harris said social media had played a significant role in the justice for Ms. Dhu campaign. "We've still got Dhu Justice on Facebook, but I'm expecting that to be shut down before Friday," he said.

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Protesters hold an Aboriginal flag at Parliament House on October 23, 2014, while demanding an independent inquest into the death of 22-year-old Yamatji woman, Julieka Dhu. Ms Dhu died on August 4, 2014, in a police lock-up in Hedland, Western Australia.
Protesters hold an Aboriginal flag at Parliament House on October 23, 2014, while demanding an independent inquest into the death of 22-year-old Yamatji woman, Julieka Dhu. Ms Dhu died on August 4, 2014, in a police lock-up in Hedland, Western Australia.

The family of Julieka Dhu, an Indigenous Australian woman who died in police custody, is frustrated following the suspension of their Twitter account.

The suspension comes a few days before the results of a coronial inquest into the death are released.

Ms. Dhu’s case has been the focus of national attention as the country contends with the continued deaths of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples in police custody — a tragic legacy of institutionalised violence.

The Twitter account’s suspension matters, not least because social media has helped ensure that Ms. Dhu’s death cannot be ignored.

@JusticeForDhu was run by the family of Ms. Dhu; a Yamatji woman who died while under arrest in Aug. 2014.

Suffering from pneumonia and septicaemia, the 22-year-old was arrested for $3,622 in unpaid fines and later died in custody after police called her a “junkie” and medical staff said they thought she was “faking it,” according to the Guardian.

Shaun Harris, Ms. Dhu’s uncle and family spokesperson, told Mashable he was bitterly disappointed by Twitter’s actions after he noticed the account was suspended on Saturday.

“We’ve been constantly targeted daily by fake profiles, by trolls, by racists from all angles,” he said. “So many people can verify that it’s not a fake profile, and it’s family run as well.”

The account called itself the “Official #JusticeForJulieka Dhu Death In Custody Campaign Account,” and helped spearhead related hashtags like #JusticeForMsDhu and #ReleaseTheCCTV.

Its absence was quickly noted on Twitter.

Twitter declined to share why the account was suspended. “We don’t comment on individual accounts, for privacy and security reasons,” a spokesperson told Mashable.

The West Australian police also directed Mashable to Twitter about the matter.

Twitter typically sends suspended users an email notice, but Harris said he wasn’t aware of having received one. “I’d be very interested to see what Twitter’s excuse will be because, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no excuse,” he added.

“We’ve just been…

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