Pregnant journalist Charlotte Bellis' lawyer has unleashed on the COVID-19 Response Minister for "smearing her reputation with untruths" when he went public about her attempts to return to New Zealand from Afghanistan.
On Thursday, it emerged Chris Hipkins released personal details of Bellis' managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) case despite receiving advice from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) that it was "not for public comment".
Bellis accused the senior Labour MP of breaching her privacy in February after he released a statement in response to criticism at the high-profile decision to reject the then-Afghanistan-based Kiwi's application for an emergency spot in MIQ.
The statement included personal details of Bellis' case, which she said the minister didn't have permission to share with the public and some of which were untrue.
Asked whether she still had confidence in Hipkins after going against official Government advice, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday told Newshub she did.
But Bellis' lawyer Tudor Clee has since delivered a scathing statement directed at Hipkins, arguing he "breached a New Zealand citizen's privacy, ignored MFAT that her personal details were 'not for public comment’, and above all the information he shared was untrue".
"It's disappointing that a New Zealander had to expose her reproductive rights publicly in the first place - something she chose to do on behalf of those who did not have a platform, particularly pregnant New Zealand women abroad experiencing the same struggles," Clee said.
"But for that to be then turned against her as a political weapon and smear her reputation with untruths was disgraceful."
Clee argued Bellis hadn't been offered consular assistance twice since December, as Hipkins claimed, and the suggestion she had "misled the public and resulted in vicious online personal attacks".
"At the end of the day the sole reason for telling her experience was to shine a light on a flawed system that required public scrutiny," Clee said.
"It is disappointing the response from minister Hipkins was not constructive, relevant or even true and ultimately harmful to a New Zealand citizen."
Clee had earlier on Thursday called on Hipkins to apologise.
Ironically, Hipkins is now using Bellis' privacy to avoid apologising for breaching her privacy.
"I'm not intending to engage in the matter any further without a signed consent form without the individual concerned," he said.
Clee said Hipkins was "welcome to reach out to us", while the COVID-19 Response Minister said he was "very happy to have a conversation" if Bellis called him.
