The Refugee Action Coalition is calling for the immediate release of an Iranian asylum seeker who has been on hunger strike in the Perth detention centre for around 20 days.
Mehdi, a 38 year-old Iranian asylum seeker was released on a bridging visa in April this year, after spending almost three years in detention. Five months later, in August, his bridging visa was cancelled and he was taken back into detention in Perth, for the sole purpose of coercing him to return to Iran.
Since returning him to detention, the immigration department has been trying to pressure Mehdi into signing to be voluntarily returned to Iran.
“This is a shocking abuse of power,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition. “The department knows very well that Iran will not accept forced removals, so it is using the threat of indefinite detention to pressure Mehdi to sign to go back.
“It seems that Mehdi has been singled out for this vindictive treatment. Whoever is responsible for this ‘cat and mouse’ decision should be removed from the department.
“We are extremely concerned that this kind of treatment could become common practice under the Coalition’s proposal to triage the thousands of asylum seekers on bridging visas waiting to be processed. This kind of bureaucratic inhumanity saw many Iranians kept in detention for many years under the Howard government. We don’t want to see that again.
“We are concerned for Mehdi’s welfare. He must be released.”
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713
