Australia: Stop the assault on asylum seekers
- by: Kailey L.
- recipient: Immigration Minister Peter Dutton
On New Years Eve, two Iranian asylum seekers were brutally beaten and arrested at Manus Island Detention Centre. Manus Island is one of two offshore Australian immigration detention facilities, and Australian authorities are showing little concern for the well-being of the victims. The refugees were left nearly unconscious, with cuts, bruises, and multiple broken bones.
The Australian Department of Immigration has responded with apathy. Rather than opening an investigation into the incident, the department has said it is the responsibility of Papa New Guinea police. Even though the Australian government holds primary responsibility and jurisdiction over this facility, they do not seem to care about the safety of asylum-seeking refugees.
Officials from the Refugee Action Coalition say this incident is part of a larger problem. Ian Rintoul, a member of RAC, said of the horrifying beating: "This bashing on New Year's Eve is an indication of the kind of treatment that is systematically handed out, part and parcel of what the Australian Government maintains in the offshore detention centres.”
This is not the first occasion that asylum seekers have been clearly mistreated at Manus Island. Just last month, a Sudanese man tragically died after not making it to the hospital in time to receive proper medical care. This came immediately after over 60 Manus refugees signed a complaint about the lack of health care they were receiving.
It is critical that this horrific incident does not become a trend. Sign now to demand Australian officials investigate the beating of innocent Iranian refugees!
On New Years Eve, two Iranian asylum seekers were brutally beaten and arrested at Manus Island Detention Centre. Manus Island is one of two offshore Australian immigration detention facilities, and Australian authorities are showing little concern for the well-being of the victims. The refugees were left nearly unconscious, with cuts, bruises, and multiple broken bones.
The Australian Department of Immigration has responded with apathy. Rather than opening an investigation into the incident, the department has said it is the responsibility of Papa New Guinea police. Even though the Australian government holds primary responsibility and jurisdiction over this facility, they do not seem to care about the safety of asylum-seeking refugees.
Officials from the Refugee Action Coalition say this incident is part of a larger problem. Ian Rintoul, a member of RAC, said of the horrifying beating: "This bashing on New Year's Eve is an indication of the kind of treatment that is systematically handed out, part and parcel of what the Australian Government maintains in the offshore detention centres.”
This is not the first occasion that asylum seekers have been clearly mistreated at Manus Island. Just last month, a Sudanese man tragically died after not making it to the hospital in time to receive proper medical care. This came immediately after over 60 Manus refugees signed a complaint about the lack of health care they were receiving.
It is critical that this horrific incident does not become a trend. Australian officials must investigate the beating of innocent Iranian refugees!
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