Refugee Update: sending people into danger

Hazara asylum seeker says he is being sent back to Afghanistan (GA, 23 April 2016)

Desperate refugees arrested trying to return to Manus Island centre (SMH, 22 April 2016) "Three refugees who have left Manus Island to try and rebuild their lives in Lae after being granted refugee status have returned to the island, saying they feel safer in the transit centre."

Catching up on links:

Asylum seekers fear forced repatriations as Julie Bishop continues talks with Iran's Foreign Minister (ABC, 16 March 2016) | Iran would welcome back asylum seekers 'with pride', Iranian Foreign Minister says (ABC, 16 March 2016) Fortunately, the Minister said that it would only accept "voluntary" returnees. Unfortunately, that means the only way to get rid of them is to keep up the torture.

Taliban tortures Abbott government deportee (The Saturday Paper, 4 October 2014) | Hazara asylum seeker to be forcibly deported from Australia to Afghanistan (GA, 14 March 2016) | Australia’s folly returns Afghan Hazaras to torture and death (The Conversation, 15 October 2014) | Afghan minister for refugees and repatriation warns against forced returns (Kabulblogs, 28 February 2015)

Refugee: 'I fear that I will die' in Cambodia (SMH, 20 March 2016) (video)

Federal Government repatriates former military interpreter to Iraq, despite fears his life is in danger (ABC, 10 November 2015)

Asylum seekers could be forced into warzones under laws proposed by Federal Government, human rights lawyer David Manne warns (ABC, 21 October 2015)

633 asylum seekers turned back under Sovereign Border in last 18 months, Peter Dutton confirms (ABC, 6 August 2015) The twenty boats included 46 Vietnamese asylum seekers who were sent back to the country they were fleeing after being secretly held at sea for a month. Another must have been the boat that made it within 200 metres of Christmas Island before being towed back out to sea. (At least they made it back to Indonesia.) Another would have been the boat with 65 asylum seekers from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, includng a pregnant woman. More recently (March 2016) a boat containing Bangladeshi asylum seekers was turned around.

btw: Turnbacks under way when Indonesian waters breached, FOI documents reveal (GA, 11 March 2016). "Disclosure of previously blanked-out details from review of six Australian breaches of Indonesian territory puts end to two years of speculation."

Asylum seekers should not be sent back to Sri Lanka yet, say religious leaders (GA, 8 June 2015) | AFP providing support to Sri Lankan government department accused of torture (ABC, 4 August 2015)

Refused asylum seekers face personal data disclosure by immigration department (GA, 13 April 2015)

ETA:

Detention of 157 Tamil asylum seekers on board ship ruled lawful (GA, 28 January 2015) Our obligations still apply despite High Court win (SMH, 19 January 2016). "The High Court decision on the detention of Tamil asylum seekers at sea turned on a technical reading of statutory provisions, not an assessment of Australia's international refugee and human rights obligations." | Australia's high court questions legality of asylum seeker boat turnbacks (GA, 29 January 2016)

(Behind a paywall, but you get the gist:) Sinhalese asylum seekers' on-water claims accepted by UN (The Saturday Paper, 31 January 2015) "Asylum seekers sent back to Sri Lanka after Scott Morrison’s ‘on-water’ interviewing have been confirmed as refugees by the UNHCR."

Government defends decision to send four men back to Sri Lanka whose boat was intercepted as part of 'people smuggling venture' (ABC, 20 February 2015)