Tony Mokbel describes life behind bars as ‘torture’

Drug lord Tony Mokbel has told a court his time in solitary confinement has been “torture” as he fights to get an hour a day in the open air.

Drug lord Tony Mokbel has described his time behind bars as “torture” as he fights to be given an hour each day in the “open air” in the prison’s exercise yards.

The underworld figure fronted the Supreme Court on Wednesday for the first time since he last month launched legal action against the state government and Barwon Prison claiming his human rights had been breached.

Mokbel, 57, representing himself, told the court he had been in solitary confinement for more than three years.

“The torture is getting worse every day,” Mokbel said.

He said it was “not rocket science” and that he wanted his daily allocation of time in the open air, which he had been deprived of, sometimes being locked up for multiple days at a time.

“Given the success of other matters similar to mine, perhaps the Human Rights Law Centre will come on board,” Mokbel said.

Mokbel also accused the prison of destroying evidence, and asked the court to make an order to ensure it is preserved.

Tony Mokbel is fighting to get an hour a day in the prison exercise yard.

Judicial registrar Martin Keith told Mokbel he would have to make a preservation of evidence application at another time.

“It’s not a matter I have power to deal with today,” Mr Keith said.

The court heard his case was only listed for a directions hearing to set down a timetable for submissions to be filed ahead of a trial date in June.

Mokbel said having to wait seven months for his day in court was “harsh”.

“I was hoping it was going to be heard early next year. I was told April,” he said.

But Mr Keith told him that the other parties were not available for April and that more time would be needed to prepare such a case.

Mokbel is serving 30 years at the maximum security facility for three counts of drug trafficking.

In documents lodged to the court, he alleges his physical and mental health has been harmed as has been “treated or punished in a cruel, inhuman or degrading way” because he’s been “deprived of liberty … to be in the open air for at least one hour each day”.

He is considered a high prison target and has essentially been in protective custody since he was bashed and stabbed in the mainstream section of the prison in February 2019.

Corrections Victoria acknowledged the restrictions on Mokbel’s prison movements would cause “mental and physical health deterioration” but said that it was “necessary and therefore lawful”.