Death of Iranian asylum seeker in Australia`s detention

Current conditions in Australia`s detention centres are getting worse for asylum seekers, they are being detained for long periods of time and they not knowing when and if they will get accepted as refugees or will be deported back to their home country.

The period of detained asylum seekers witness self-harm, suicide and protests which causes more depression for them. Recently a 44-year-old Iranian man was transferred to hospital from Villawood detention centre with chest pains on Saturday 25th February but died early on Monday 27th February because of an apparent heart attack.

The Iranian man arrived in Australia by plane in April 2010 and was in detention since then. Papers had been lodged with the Iranian embassy for his deportation after his asylum claim had been repeatedly rejected, and the man, previously jailed by the Iranian regime and whose brother was executed, feared for his life.

Mr Ian Rintoul, the Head of the Refugee Action Coalition said the man had a wife and two children in Iran and a cousin in Australia. He said he had been living in Villawood's housing section for four weeks before being taken to hospital.

Dr Michael Dudley, the chairman of Suicide Prevention Australia, said the link between anxiety and heart disease was well known, and he had written a psychiatric assessment of the man, that clearly stated prolonged detention was worsening his depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

''He clearly had symptoms of panic, palpitations, sweating, neck and chest pain and was unable to sleep because of his worries. Every night he had nightmares of what would happen to his family. He had flashbacks to events in Iran, triggered by events at Villawood including federal police and riot squad raids on rooms,'' Dr Dudley said. ''His vulnerability was really compounded by his detention and the strong possibility of being deported to his death”

Dr Dudley`s report on the Iranian man had said he should be moved to community detention in line with department guidelines. The Australian Immigration Department refused the man's release into community detention, stating that two psychiatric assessments did not specify he could not be treated for his mental illness inside a detention centre.

Mohammad Sadeghphour, a member of Australian Supporters of Democracy in Iran, said: ''The Iranian regime didn't kill him, but unfortunately our government did.''

Mr Sadeghphour said ''When I saw him last week he was a different guy. He was so worried about his children and his wife. The Iranian community wrote letters to the Minister and detention centre management.''

He is the fifth Villawood detainee to die in 18 months. The previous four were suicides. An Immigration Department spokeswoman said the department expressed its sympathy to the man's family and would co-operate with any investigation.

There are currently 3,031 people in immigration detention centres around Australia. Almost a third has been in detention for more than a year. A new report by Amnesty International says conditions in detention centres are not good for asylum seekers. In fact, they have said the Australian Government should close the detention centres immediately.

More Boats Mean More Asylum Seekers in Detention in Australia

In the first two months of 2012, 1165 asylum seekers have arrived in Australia by boat. And all of them have been moved to detention centres.

On 16th February two boats carrying more than 130 asylum seekers were stopped off the coast of Christmas Island. Two days later, Australian authorities intercepted another asylum seeker boat with more than 79 asylum seekers on board. And on 21^st February, two more boats were found in Australian waters. One of the boats was carrying 98 people while the other had 96 passengers. The asylum seekers have been taken to the detention centre on Christmas Island, where they will receive initial security, health and identity checks and their reasons for travel will be established.

Both of the major political parties in Australia want to start offshore processing for asylum seekers who arrive by boat again. But they are still fighting over which country asylum seekers should be sent to. The current Government wants to send asylum seekers to Malaysia. The Liberal Party (in opposition) wants to send asylum seekers to Nauru.

Both sets of politicians are blaming each other for the increase in the numbers of people arriving by boat. The Government’s Minister for Immigration, Chris Bowen, said the latest boat arrivals were because the Liberal Party was refusing to negotiate. “Enough is enough. Australians expect Mr. Abbott to work with the Government to stop people risking their lives at sea,” Mr. Bowen said. The Liberal Party’s immigration spokesman, Scott Morrison, said the  “Labor [party] has lost control of our borders.”

Without offshore processing, the newest asylum seekers to arrive in Australia are being sent to detention centres. A new report by Amnesty International, however, says that conditions in those detention centres are not good for asylum seekers. In fact, they have said the Australian Government should close the remote detention centres like Curtin immediately.

Amnesty spoke with one asylum seeker who has been on detention for more than two years, waiting for the refugee application to be processed. The asylum seeker told Amnesty, “the only way to pass the time and escape the heat is to rely on medication to sleep the days away.”

Amnesty spokesperson Graham Thom said that there was an “air of hopelessness” among the asylum seekers and that their mental health was “obviously being crushed” by spending up to three years waiting. Amnesty says that asylum seekers should be detained only for a maximum of 30 days once they reach Australia.

There are currently 3031 people in immigration detention centres around Australia. Almost a third have been in detention for more than a year.

Asylum Seekers Stage Hunger Strike in Australia

Five asylum seekers in an Australian immigration detention centre are staging a hunger strike after being held in detention for over a year.

The men have been refusing to eat for over nine days in protest over the time being taken to process their refugee applications. One of the men, a 33-year-old man from Iran, was taken to hospital on his ninth day of the hunger strike. A member of the Refugee Action Collective said the man was returned to the detention centre on the same day but resumed the hunger strike as soon as he was back in detention. “[More] people are willing to join him on the strike. I wouldn't be surprised if it does keep going,” she said. “It’s reaching boiling point.”

Members of the Refugee Action Collective regularly visit the detention centre in Melbourne and say that the lack of information for the detainees about their cases has led to them taking strike action. “There's no communication. No one knows how long they’ll have to wait. The [Australian Government] doesn't have to give a time frame so tensions are reaching quite high.”

The Refugee Action Collective member said men are desperate “They're just waiting and they're getting pushed over the edge.” One of the striking detainees was given refugee status more than five months ago but is still in detention waiting for his security clearance.

A spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship said that the men on hunger strike were being watched closely. “Food and water is available to detainees at all times; we encourage them to eat,” he said. The Immigration Department also said the men had access to proper levels of health care and support. He added that “the protest will have no effect on the outcome of their cases.”

The hunger strike comes as concerns are rising about the increasing number of asylum seekers trying to get to Australia from Iran. The number of Iranians trying to reach Australia by boat has increased dramatically in recent months. In 2009-10 Iranians were just 6% of the asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat. By 2010-11 they made up 36%. Recent figures show that asylum seekers from Iran now make up almost 50% of the people arriving by boat in Australia. 1,549 Iranians arrived in 2010-11.

The increase is leading to fears that thousands of Iranians could be denied refugee status but be unable to return to Iran. Immigration Department figures show that most of the Iranian asylum seekers were found not to be refugees in their first application. Normally, people who are not accepted as refugees are sent back to their home country, even if they don’t want to be. But in the case of Iranian asylum seekers, they can’t be returned to Iran because the Iranian Government will not accept them. The result could be thousands of Iranians in Australian detention centres indefinitely.

Refugees Stuck in Australia Detention are Waiting for Security Clearances

There are more than 50 refugees in detention centres around Australia facing indefinite detention. The asylum seekers have been accepted as refugees but are still waiting for security clearances from the Australian security agency, ASIO.  Until they pass this security check, even recognized refugees are kept in immigration detention. If they fail this security check, they can be kept in detention forever.

Harun is one of these refugees. He has been in detention for more than two years after being told by ASIO that he was a “threat” to Australian security and could not be released from detention.

Harun fled Burma and lived in Malaysia for more than 15 years before he took a boat to Australia to try to get protection for his family. The Australian Department of Immigration recognised Harun as a refugee in April 2010 only a few months after he arrived in Australia. Like all asylum seekers who arrive by boat, the Immigration Department then referred Harun’s case to ASIO for a security assessment. In November 2010, ASIO returned negative assessment of Harun. As a result, the Immigration Department denied him a permanent protection visa. Without a protection visa Harun cannot be released from detention. But as a refugee the Australian government cannot send him back to Burma. Resettlement in a different country is also very difficult since ASIO has said he is a threat.

17-year-old Ali Abbas is another case. Abbas, a Kuwaiti, has been detained for more than a year and has attempted suicide a number of times. He was granted refugee status in April 2011 but is still in detention. The Darwin Asylum Seekers Advocacy and Support Network said Abbas tried to hang himself after hearing that ASIO had failed his security assessment. According to the Network, he had “scratched ‘freedom’ into his arm with a razor”.

ASIO does not have to give any information about its decisions or the security assessment process. Neither Harun nor Abbas have been told what information or sources were used in their assessments. And ASIO does not need to provide any proof to support its decision. Harun and Abbas were not allowed to give any evidence in their defence. Harun said he tried to submit a letter of recommendation from a lawyer he worked for in Malaysia, “but [ASIO] refused it.” As non-citizens refugees cannot challenge or appeal ASIO’s decision. Harun has considered taking his case to court to seek a judicial review. But this is another long process for refugees who can rely on only legal aid or pro bono support. He said it would take six to nine months just to have his application to go to court accepted.

The Refugee Action Collective (Victoria) is concerned about the growing number of refugees who remain in detention even after they receive their refugee status because they are waiting for security checks from ASIO. Daniella Olea, a high school teacher and Refugee Action Collective member said refugees were beginning to act out of “pure desperation”. They said the “so called security checks are taking too long. A lot of refugees have been granted refugee status and then are left to go mad in these concentration camps for months and months.”

Harun says that he does not want to stay in Australia any more. He is using sleeping pills and anti-depressants to help him with his loss of hope and feelings of isolation. He says that he feels “locked up, demonised and ignored” and wants to go back to Malaysia.