Australian senator suspended amid claims of silencing genocide debate

An Australian lawmaker was suspended before she could propose changes to laws governing genocide prosecution in the country.

Sen. Lidia Thorpe said her suspension by Parliament was to “shut down” any debate on genocide and injustice.

“It’s no coincidence that this government chose today to suspend me from the Senate. My private senators’ bill on genocide was due to be debated,” she said on X.

The former Green Sen. Thorpe accused the ruling Labor party of having done all they could to “shut down this bill and silence those who call out genocide and injustice.”

It’s no coincidence that this government chose today to suspend me from the Senate.

My private senators bill on genocide was due to be debated.

Labor have done all they can to shut down this bill and silence those who call out genocide and injustice.

We will not be silent.

— Senator Lidia Thorpe (@SenatorThorpe) November 27, 2024

But she vowed they will not be silent.

Until now, the attorney-general of Australia has the sole power to decide whether or not anyone can be held accountable for such crimes in the country.

It assumes significance amid a genocide case against Israel over its war on Gaza.

Speaking to ABC News, Thorpe said she was also punished for speaking out against racism in the country.

On Wednesday, Sen. Fatima Payman also accused Sen. Hanson of being a “racist” and called her a “disgrace to the human race.”

Payman gained the support of Indigenous Thorpe, who tore up documents and stormed out of the Senate in protest of Hanson’s remarks.

The exchange began after Hanson presented documents in Parliament questioning Payman’s eligibility to sit in the chamber due to her dual citizenship.