on a "non-association regime". While Zaoui and his supporters have characterised this as being in solitary confinement; this was dismissed as a "myth" by the Department of Corrections. However, in October 2003 his case was reviewed, and citing the "likely length of time before legal proceedings conclude", the Department of Corrections transferred him to the medium security Auckland Remand Prison where he was placed on a ‘normal association regime". Refugee status In August 2003 the Refugee Status Appeals Authority declared both his Belgian and French trials to be "unsafe" and granted Zaoui refugee status. Commenting on the information available to them in order to evaluate Zaoui's claim, the RSAA stated that they "...were surprised at how limited it was and the questionable nature of some of the contents" and that "...it does not provide evidence that he has committed, directed or participated in any act of violence or terrorism that would require his being excluded under Article 1F from the protection of the Refugee Convention." Political attention and cause célèbre The case attracted considerable media and political attention. The New Zealand Government defended the treatment of Zaoui, and maintained they had information that he was a credible risk. In September 2004, Prime Minister Helen Clark's office stated that Zaoui had links to al Qaeda, but Clark later withdrew the claim, saying that her "office had probably gone too far in making the link". The New Zealand First Party attacked Mr Zaoui's claim to asylum, while the Greens challenged the processes that saw him imprisoned and at risk of deportation. On 20 October 2004, many of his supporters participated in a launch of a biographical book in the Beehive foyer in Wellington. In October 2005 Zaoui published Migrant Birds, a book of 24 poems he wrote as a response to being imprisoned. The poems are in Arabic and English. A 25th poem, He will come back, the one I'm waiting for, was called the most important New Zealand poem of 2004 by Emma Neale, editor of Best New Zealand Poems 2004. His case received attention from a number of celebrities and prominent New Zealanders. He was featured in the music video for Dave Dobbyn's Welcome Home, and also appeared on stage with Dobbyn when the song was performed at the New Zealand Music Awards. Bail On 9 December 2004 the Supreme Court of New Zealand granted Zaoui bail. Despite Crown opposition,