Tudor Clee Defends Journalist Charlotte Bellis Against Minister's Untruths

Tudor Clee, the lawyer representing pregnant journalist Charlotte Bellis, has criticized the COVID-19 Response Minister, Chris Hipkins, for "smearing her reputation with untruths" regarding her attempts to return to New Zealand from Afghanistan. Despite advice from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) that Bellis' managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) case was "not for public comment," Hipkins released personal details about it.

Clee has strongly condemned Hipkins' actions, stating that the minister "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." Clee also highlighted that Bellis had to publicly expose her reproductive rights, which she did on behalf of those who did not have a platform, particularly pregnant New Zealand women abroad experiencing the same struggles.