An Iraqi court has handed a life sentence to Kazem Hamad, a figure once associated with organized crime in Melbourne, demonstrating the far reach of state power across international borders.
Hamad, identified as a former Melbourne organized crime figure, was deported by Australian authorities in 2023. This act of international cooperation between state apparatuses set the stage for his current incarceration, now in its third year since his removal from Australia.
State's Long Arm
The deportation highlights how national borders do not limit the state's capacity to enforce its will. Governments collaborate to manage individuals deemed threats to their established order, regardless of where those individuals may attempt to operate. The transfer of Hamad from Australian jurisdiction to an Iraqi court underscores a coordinated effort to assert control over unsanctioned economic actors.
Defining 'Crime'
The designation of 'organized crime figure' by state authorities marks a specific type of wealth accumulation. While the capitalist system thrives on the extraction of surplus value through sanctioned means like wage suppression and market manipulation, it rigorously suppresses forms of accumulation that operate outside its direct control and taxation. Hamad's life sentence, delivered by an Iraqi court, serves as a stark reminder of the state's monopoly on violence and its power to categorize and punish those who transgress its imposed economic and social boundaries.
Maintaining Order
The state's legal framework defines what constitutes 'crime,' thereby legitimizing certain economic activities while criminalizing others. This legal action isn't merely about individual justice; it's about the state apparatus asserting its dominance. It reinforces the boundaries of acceptable economic activity and demonstrates the consequences for those who operate outside the system's sanctioned channels, even if their own methods of wealth generation mirror the exploitative nature of capital. The collaboration between Australian and Iraqi state entities in this case underscores the global coordination among ruling classes to maintain their established order. Such actions ensure that the mechanisms of wealth concentration remain firmly within the control of the state-backed capitalist system, punishing those who challenge its authority, even indirectly, through unsanctioned means.