A United Nations committee has found that Australia violated a human rights treaty by detaining a group of asylum seekers, including minors, on Nauru even after they were granted refugee status. Source: ABC News.
Under Australia’s immigration policies, those attempting to reach the country by boat have been sent to detention centres including Nauru for so-called “offshore processing” since 2013.
Such facilities have previously drawn scrutiny from rights groups.
The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the legally binding 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and was asked to consider a complaint by a group of refugees, found that Australia had violated two provisions of the treaty: one on arbitrary detention and one protecting the right to challenge their detention in court.
It asked the Commonwealth Government to provide compensation to the victims and to ensure similar violations do not recur.
“The outsourcing of operations does not absolve states of accountability,” Committee member Mahjoub El Haiba said.
“Offshore detention facilities are not human rights-free zones for the state party, which remains bound by the provisions of the covenant.”
The Department of Home Affairs said in a statement the Government’s position had always been that “Australia does not exercise effective control over regional processing centres”.
“Nauru as a sovereign state continues to exercise jurisdiction over the regional processing arrangements (and individuals subject to those arrangements) within their territory.”
A department spokesperson said Australia’s international obligations did not apply to transferees “outside of Australia’s territory or its effective control”.
FULL STORY
Australia violated human rights treaty with Nauru detainees, UN committee finds (ABC News)
