Arabic version: رجل من سيدني أول مسجون بموجب قوانين التحية النازية

According to ABC News, Sydney man Nathan Ballesty has been sentenced to three years in prison for performing a Nazi salute and publishing offensive online posts, becoming the first person jailed under new mandatory minimum sentencing laws. The sentence was imposed on Friday and includes a non-parole period of 18 months.

Ballesty pleaded guilty to performing a Nazi salute, six counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, and one count of contravening a police order. The police-order offence followed his refusal to provide investigators with passwords to his devices for weeks. His sentence was backdated to January, when he was first remanded in custody, and he will be eligible for parole in May 2027.

The Australian Federal Police arrested Ballesty in December after launching an investigation into a post in which he called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to be kidnapped. A search of his Northern Beaches home found Nazi paraphernalia, including a uniform and a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, while electronic devices were seized. Content on the devices included violent messages aimed at Mr Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, as well as a recording of a video call in which Ballesty performed a Nazi salute.

The sentence includes the mandatory minimum 12 months’ imprisonment for performing a Nazi salute under laws introduced in February 2025. Ballesty’s parents submitted a letter describing his mental health struggles and social isolation, while saying he had become increasingly dependent on the internet. They said he had embraced Christianity in prison and was remorseful. Judge Mahony said he accepted Ballesty’s remorse but found the character testimonials difficult to reconcile with the nature of the crimes.