Charges against suspended University of Queensland (UQ) student Drew Pavlou were “obviously fabricated” and involved “scrounging up every bit of filth which could possibly be thrown at him”, his lawyer claims.
In a 16-page appeal document seen by the ABC, Brisbane barrister Tony Morris QC, who is acting pro-bono, argues Mr Pavlou, a vocal opponent of the Chinese Government, was subject to a “kangaroo court” disciplinary process before his two-year suspension from UQ, announced last week.
Mr Pavlou’s on-campus protests have made news all over the world and put UQ’s relationship with China — and the university sector’s reliance on international students — under increasing scrutiny.
About 20 per cent of UQ’s revenue comes from Chinese students.
Mr Pavlou’s suspension has sparked outrage in some sectors of academia and both sides of politics, with the UQ Chancellor issuing a public statement asking for an explanation.
In the appeal document to Mr Pavlou’s suspension, Mr Morris argues the disciplinary panel was given falsified evidence from someone within the university, and the process was marred by a lack of procedural fairness, conflict of interest, apprehended bias, and a failure to give reasons for the verdicts.
In a closed disciplinary hearing, the panel considered whether Mr Pavlou breached the uni