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.

An Unending Journey Turns Into a Nightmare for an Iranian Asylum-seeker in Australia

Hassan left Iran is search of a new life. Like others, he thought the long and painful journey to Australia as an asylum seeker would end when he got to Australia and was granted refugee status. Instead, his experience has been very different and is still not over.

Hassan arrived on Christmas Island in May 2010, just after the tension in the overcrowded and understaffed detention centre had exploded into violent protests.

By the time he reached Australia he was already depressed and wanted to return to Iran. But when he phoned his family they told him that it was not safe and that returning would put him and his family in even more danger.

While in detention, Hassan witnessed other asylum seekers try to hurt themselves on a daily basis.

The week before he arrived, a 20-year-old Afghan man hanged himself in his room. Hassan also tried to end his life after his application for refugee status was rejected and the interview to hear his appeal against the negative decision was cancelled at the last moment without explanation.

“It was very hard for me. The months in detention made me remember when I was in detention centres in Iran. I was hopeless about life. Nothing was good for me and I was wondering, 'Why should I stay here?’”

The first time he saw Australia was when he was taken to hospital after his suicide attempt. “I didn't know anything about Australia, about people, or houses.”

The medical staff who supported Hassan after his suicide attempt wrote that he “describes experiencing overwhelming anxiety symptoms, including flashbacks, panic attacks and poor sleep with nightmares, chronic persistent anxiety and restlessness (e.g. biting arm hairs) as well as low mood and hopelessness, which have been worsening throughout the duration of his 14 months in detention - especially since transfer from Christmas Island.”

His psychiatrist also wrote that “being in detention reminds [Hassan] of his time in a prison in Iran … and that even seeing the detention centre guards in uniform caused him to experience panic attacks and re-experience the trauma of Iran. He also mentioned particular rooms in Curtin reminded him of torture rooms in the Iranian prison.”

They tried to have him moved from the detention centre, pleading that the “detention centre environments generally would likely precipitate his depressive and anxiety symptoms and hope consideration may be given to Hassan regarding future hearings of his case.”

About three months later, he became one of the first asylum seekers to be allowed to live in the community with a bridging visa under the system put in place after the Malaysia Plan was stopped. But although he is out of detention, Hassan still does not have refugee status and is waiting for a decision following a review of his application.

A bridging visa is a short-term, temporary visa that allows those asylum-seekers who receive them to wait for an answer to their refugee claim free in the community rather than locked up in detention.

Australia’s Immigration Department will only give bridging visas to asylum-seekers who:

•                    Have been in detention for a very long time and have not received an answer to their refugee claim. A long time means between 1 to 2 years;

•                    Have been good while in detention and have not been involved in riots or protests;

•                    Have family or friends in Australia that they can live with; and,

•                    Have been approved by the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation.

A bridging visa does not give the asylum-seeker the right to stay in Australia forever. If the asylum-seeker is accepted as a refugee, they will be given a different visa to stay in Australia. If the asylum-seeker that has a bridging visa is rejected as a refugee, then they will be sent home.

By the 31st October this year there were 5,454 people in detention centres around Australia.  64% had been in detention for 6 months or longer and almost 40% had been in detention for 12 months or more.

Rejected Asylum-seekers Riot in Australia

A new report looking at detention conditions in Australia has found that the growing number of asylum-seekers in detention centres who have had their refugee applications rejected was one of the factors which led to riots in the Christmas Island and Villawood detention centres earlier this year.

Buildings were destroyed by fire and detainees were arrested during violent protests and riots on Christmas Island and at Villawood in March and April. The riots caused $8.5 million worth of damage.

The report found that while the length of time taken to process refugee applications was one reason in the decision of asylum-seekers to riot, they were also influenced by the rejection of their applications and their frustration at the people smugglers who promised them visas.

The report says “a strong motivation from detainees who have received negative decisions flows from their reaction to having paid a significant sum of money to people smugglers to facilitate their travel to Australia with an accompanying 'promise' of receiving a visa.”

The report concludes that rejected asylum-seekers believe the decisions about their applications are wrong and that this is leading to disobedience, inappropriate behaviors, disturbances and self-harm. According to the report, 80 of the 100 detainees who took part in the Christmas Island riot had their refugee claims rejected. 19 of these asylum-seekers had been rejected at their first interview. Of the nine detainees charged over the Villawood riot, all had had their refugee applications rejected.

The report also found that overcrowding and the long time asylum-seekers were now spending in detention were becoming part of the problem. The number of asylum-seekers in detention increased dramatically in 2010. In less than 18 months the number of people in detention centres grew from a few hundred to more than 6000. The report concluded that this was placing detention centres under "severe stress" and that they were now operating on an emergency footing.

Australia’s immigration minister, Chris Bowen has said that since then there has been a reduction in the number of people locked up in detention. However now the number of asylum-seekers going to Australia has increased, overcrowding could become a problem again.

In a private letter to the Department of Immigration, the company responsible for health services in detention centres says that the long detention of asylum-seekers has created a high demand for psychiatric services which its staff cannot meet. The letter describes an “increasing surge” of asylum-seekers needing mental health services, particularly in remote locations. The letter discusses the rising number of detainees being prescribed medication for long periods of time; the increasing number of asylum-seekers with a history of trauma and torture; and the growing number of asylum-seekers who have been in detention for more that 18 months.

Mental health professionals throughout Australia argue that the overwhelming majority of asylum-seekers have fled war-torn countries or have seen and experienced trauma and horror on their way to Australia. They argue that many are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and that this is made worse by their detention in isolated and remote locations and the stress of the long time it is taking for their refugee applications to be processed. According to these professional most asylum-seekers in detention have higher rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress due to their long periods of detention.

Mental Health in Australian Detention Centres

Recently there have been many cases of mental health traumas in Australian detention centres.

There have been cases of many children’s and adults having chronic post-traumatic stress disorder during and after detention.

Recent wide-spread riots at detention centers across Australia are a reflection that mandatory detention has a negative impact on mental health of asylum seekers.

More than 6800 asylum seekers mostly from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq arrived in Australia in 2010 and hundreds more have arrived this year. As detention centres are become more overcrowded, stays are longer and there are reportedly a growing number of self-harm and suicide attempts.

Hundreds of detainees have burnt down buildings in Christmas Island detention center to express their anger over lengthy delays in processing and the rejection of asylum claims.

There were 79 recorded incidents of self-harm in detention centers, compared with 39 of the previous financial year.

Assessment of children and families in detention found that all of 10 children assessed aged between six and 17 fulfilled criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression with suicidal ideation.

The plight of children in detention is illustrated by the case of Shayan Badraie, who was five years old when first detained in 2000. He was in the Woomera and Villawood detention centres until 2002.While in detention, Shayan saw attempted suicides, self-harm and abuse. He was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was described as being in a catatonic state of distress.

There have been a couple rape claims in Australian Detention Centres. On March 23 a 23-year-old male Iranian asylum seeker claimed he was raped by other asylum seekers at a detention centre on Christmas Island. The man told detention centre medical staff that he had been raped by several men the previous day at the Phosphate Hill camp. It is understood he claimed some of the men warned him that they would kill him if he reported the attacks. The man is believed to have since been moved to a protective unit for his safety.

And in other case a 5-year-old boy has allegedly been raped by three men while they were detained in a refugee camp in Western Australia. The claims say that the boy was forced to look at a porn magazine, and then reenact what he saw in the magazine. The claims are being investigated.

Detainees in Australian immigration centres have poor mental and physical health, according to a study by the University of Wollongong, NSW. 40% of those held for 2 years or longer developed new mental health symptoms. A third of Australia's 7375 detainees are seeking asylum under the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Many are traumatized, with high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression, and about 20% have been tortured, imprisoned for political offences, or have witnessed murder of family or friends.

Long-term detention of asylum seekers is not only violation of their human rights, it is damaging to their health. Many experience depression, mental anguish, trauma and psychological damage in detention Centres. And yet at the end they might not get a visa, after all what they have been thru. If the governments don’t want any refuges then why attempt to go their thinking that they might get lucky. Why not try a legal and a safe way to migrate.