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A 2014 file picture shows asylum seekers behind a fence at the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea. Photo: EPA

Refugees held captive in offshore detention centres accuse Australia of torture and rights abuses in class action lawsuits

  • The United Nations and a doctors group recently warned of alarming levels of depression, with many suicide attempts and children living in despair
Australia
More than 1,000 asylum seekers being held by Australia in offshore detention centres are suing Canberra, alleging that they have suffered torture and human rights abuses.
Migrants being held on the islands of Manus – in Papua New Guinea – and Nauru are to launch two class action suits, the latest civil bid to end their detention.

“The group members allege that they have been subjected to torture, crimes against humanity and the intentional infliction of harm by the Australian Government,” said George Newhouse, a lawyer with legal campaign group the National Justice Project.

Detainees raise their arms in protest at the Manus Island detention centre. Photo: Reuters

The roughly 1,200 individuals will be represented by top lawyer Julian Burnside, the project said.

Australia’s right-leaning government has repeatedly defended its policy of detaining migrants at offshore facilities.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison argues allowing the would-be refugees to reach Australia would encourage others to make the trip. But the policy is unpopular among the Australian public and has been pilloried by rights groups and doctors as inhumane.

Protesters hold up signs demanding the resettlement of children held at the detention centres. Photo: EPA

Conditions in the camps are often difficult.

The United Nations and a doctors group recently warned of alarming levels of depression on Nauru, with many suicide attempts and children living in despair.

Those detained have already launched several legal challenges in a bid to close the camps.

Shipping containers are used as shelters at the Manus Island detention centre. Photo: Reuters

Their lawyers will now argue they have suffered arbitrary imprisonment and denied proper medical treatment – constituting a crime against humanity.

The government has vowed to move children off Nauru but has opposed legislation allowing transfers to take place.

Detainees sit inside accommodation at the Manus Island detention centre. Photo: Reuters
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