About Us

Australians Detained Abroad (ADA) is a not for profit organisation that provides support to Australian families who have
loved ones detained overseas. ADA is the initiative of Lieutenant Colonel USMC (Retired) Dan Mori. Lt. Cl. Mori “saw a need for such support and recognised that no independent body was assisting Australians in such a systematic manner”. We operate across Australia and are located in the Melbourne CBD.  Our office accepts enquiries from all over Australia.

Our Founder: Dan Mori

Australians Detained Abroad is the initiative of Lieutenant Colonel USMC (Retired) Dan Mori. After graduating from the Western New England School of Law in 1994 Dan had a long career serving as a defence counsel, Military Justice Officer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the United States Marine Corps.

In 2003 Dan was appointed by the U.S Department of Defence to represent Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks. In 2007 he was awarded an honorary membership of the Australian Bar Association in recognition of his work defending Hicks and in 2009 was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and made a senior military judge. Dan has lived in Melbourne and was appointed a special senior fellow at the Monash University Faculty of Law.

What We Do

Australians Detained Abroad operates as a single point of contact for Australian families who have loved ones detained abroad. Our aim is to guide families through the often traumatic experience of having a loved one detained overseas, by offering information, means-tested financial assistance, advocacy and access to a list of partners in the diplomatic, legal and academic fields.

We provide ongoing support to families until their matter is resolved.

To receive our services, the individual seeking assistance needs to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident living in Australia and either:

(i) has a family member detained overseas; or
(ii) is the subject of a criminal investigation in a foreign legal jurisdiction which could lead to extradition to a foreign country.

We offer all services at no cost.  If you have a family member in the above situation and wish to talk to us, please seek assistance.

Please note that if the detainee is not themselves an Australian citizen or permanent resident Australians Detained Abroad will be limited in the amount of support it can provide. Please be aware that Australians Detained Abroad is unable to provide legal advice to detainees or family members.

Why We Do It

The Australian Bureau of Statistics note that Australians take around 8.5 million trips abroad each year.  Every day, on average three Australians on these trips were placed under arrest with families forced to navigate different legal jurisdictions and cultural environments in order to seek justice for their loved ones. Australians Detained Abroad is uniquely situated to help guide the families of detainees through this often confusing and traumatic experience, given our knowledge and practical experience of the legal, practical and emotional issues raised by foreign detention.

Our Values

Australians Detained Abroad is an independent, non-political organisation that operates as a neutral broker of services.  We are dedicated to ensuring that our clients receive access to justice no matter what their financial circumstances or resources and that the human rights of Australians detained abroad are protected.

ADA monitors and advocates for law reform in detention related fields.  In achieving these goals we are guided by the highest standards of ethical conduct and probity.

Work with Us

Please go to our ‘Careers and Volunteer Opportunities’ page for current opportunities.