A 62-year-old Iranian immigration detainee who was being held in Sydney’s Villawood detention centre died on 13 January 2008 after being taken to the St. Georges Private Hospital two days earlier.

Everyday at the detention centre, he had to walk 100 metres uphill from his room to the dining room using an umbrella to assist him to walk, after that he was often too exhausted to eat. When he was finally taken to hospital, he collapsed and died two days later from a heart attack.

He was not a refugee, but he had been found guilty of drug-related offences and had served his sentence in the Australian prison system. When he was found to be medically unfit to fly after a deportation order, he was placed in Villawood rather than in a hospital.

His death highlights the misuse of the detention centre to detain people and the inadequate medical care that detainees have suffered for years.

Hotline Asia issued SUA020128(1) in 2002 to ask for an explanation regarding the situation of the detainees in Woomera and other detention centres and the measures provided by the Australian government to ensure a better living condition to protect children and women in the detention centres.

Source:
Green Left Weekly

Although the Immigration Minister announced in July 2004 that only one child was still in a detention centre on the Australian mainland, an advocacy group, Children Out of Detention, estimates that by mid-August, 113 children were still in immigration detention, with 86 being in closed facilities either in Australia or in Nauru.

In response to the plight of detainees at Australian immigration detention centres, who resorted to protest and hunger strikes since January 2002, Hotline Asia issued SUA020128(1) to express concern on the conditions at Woomera and other detention centres and to inquire into the measures to improve these conditions for women and children. Local Church groups and human rights organizations have been concerned about the lack of health and other services, prolonged detention, incidents of self-harm, the detention of children, and prison-like conditions. Media attentions have led to calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the administration of immigration detention centres in mid 2003.

Source:
Australian Catholic Social Justice Council

Findings from the "National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention" conducted by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission since November 2001, have detailed numerous and repeated breaches of the human rights of children in detention centres. On 13 May 2004, the report was tabled in Federal Parliament with recommendation to release all children who were in immigration detention within four weeks. The deadline was 10 June 2004.

The Immigration Minister Senator Amanda Vanstone announced on 5 July 2004 that only one child of an asylum seeker who arrived in Australia by boat was still in a detention centre on the Australian mainland. Human Rights Commissioner Dr Sev Ozdowski welcomed the announcement as an important acknowledgement of the plight of the children who were the subject of the Commission's recent National Inquiry.

In January 2002, SUA020128(1) was issued to express concern on the conditions at Woomera and other detention centres and to inquire into the measures to improve these conditions for women and children.

More information about the issue can be found at the Commission's web site at: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/media_releases/2004/40_04.htm

The National Inquiry: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/children_detention/index.html Statement by Human Rights Commissioner: http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/index.html http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/children_detention_report/media_pack/index.html

In recent months media coverage revealing the inhuman conditions at the Woomera Immigration Detention Centre have led to calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the administration of immigration detention centres. In June, the Family Court ruled that the Government's policy of indefinitely detaining children over immigration issues is illegal. The Minister for Immigration is currently appealing this decision in the High Court. It is hoped that the Family Court ruling will be upheld and that children will be released from the immigration detention centres with their families.

Concern is increasing regarding those whose asylum claims are rejected or who give up their claims, and are returned to their country of origin, or to third countries. There are reports that those repatriated may face significant risks, including serious human rights violations on arrival. It is also reported that people are often sedated or restrained during the repatriation process.

During 2002, in an amendment to its Migration Act, the Australian government excised certain outlying Islands from Australia's migration zone. Asylum seekers reaching these excised areas are deemed not to have entered Australia and they are therefore prevented from lodging claims for asylum. In a recent case, 50 Vietnamese asylum seekers were treated in the same way even though they had entered Australia's migration zone. Instead of processing their claims for asylum, the Government towed them 1800 km back to Christmas Island, which is outside the migration zone. In the process, the Government acted outside its own laws, as well as international law.

Since 1988, the controversial policy of detaining asylum seekers, and increasing restrictions on the asylum process, have sparked criticisms from community groups in Australia. Their concerns include the violation of the right to seek asylum, as well as the inhuman conditions, and lack of adequate medical facilities in detention. For more information please refer to UA 010618(8), SUA 020128(1) and related updates.

Source:
Australian Catholic Social Justice Council

Many recent national and international reports on Australia's treatment of asylum seekers have pointed to the substandard conditions of its immigration detention centres. Hotline has responded by calling for expressions of concern for the detainees in January 2002 [SUA020128(1)]. A recent report of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Australia's detention of asylum seekers is unique in the world in terms of being mandatory, automatic, indiscriminate, indefinite and contrary to international standards.

Key issues of concern have included lack of health and other services, prolonged detention, incidents of self-harm, the detention of children, and prison-like conditions. Riots, arson attacks and escapes have highlighted the despair experienced by 'inmates'. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists spoke of "an ongoing psychiatric emergency in detention centres" and called for a review of processes and conditions. They also referred to these centres as being "breeding grounds for behavioural disturbances".

Over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, a number of riots and arson attacks occurred in the Baxter, Port Headland, Woomera and Villawood centres. Following the riots, around 20 detainees were removed from the centres and held in custody in police stations and maximum security jails pending possible charges. Amnesty International and asylum seekers lawyers groups opposed them being held without arrest or charges being laid.

Charges are now being laid against detainees. The lawyer of a Woomera detainee charged with arson has told the court that conditions for her client in the state-run prison are too cruel; nobody speaks the detainees language and treatment of his psychiatric condition is inadequate.

Source:
Australian Catholic Social Justice Council

According to news reports, hundreds of detained asylum seekers ended a two-week hunger strike on 30 January, and 11 teenagers withdrew a suicide threat after visits from the representatives of the Australian Government's Immigration Detention Advisory Committee achieved a breakthrough. They have been going to the detention centres to talk directly to the asylum seekers. The people have removed the stitches from their lips, and the hunger strike has ended.

The Government has begun to process asylum claims again. There were plans to build a new detention centre and to move many of the people at Woomera there. The Immigration Minister is considering expanding a program that allows some of the women and children to be released into the community. While this is aparently a slight improvement, basically the policy the policy towards them has not changed. [In June 2001, Hotline issued UA 010618(8) to urge reforms in the harsh immigration detention laws and recently, SUA020128(1) for more transparency in the situation and welfare of asylum seekers in detention.]

For those who have not yet responded, letters to diplomatic representatives of Australia in your country are encourged. Continue to show concern by asking for a clearer picture of the situation in the detention centres and what policies and measures have been taken to ensure international human rights standards are being applied on the women and children asylum seekers in Australian detention centres. Please keep posted in case further solidarity action is needed.

Sources:
International Herald Tribune, February 2002
South China Morning Post, January/February 2002
Australian Catholic Social Justice Council