The Refugee Action Coalition has welcomed today’s High Court decision regarding the ASIO negative refugees. “It is a small step, and will apply to all ASIO negative refugees being held indefinitely,” said Ian Rintoul, from the Refugee Action Coalition.
“The court has said that the Minister cannot indefinitely detain the ASIO negative refugees by refusing to allow them to apply for a protection visa. The Minister must now allow all the ASIO negative refugees to apply for a protection visa.
“Effectively, these refugees have been held already been held unlawfully for years. They are not guilty of any crimes, yet have been held many years in detention. In Ranjini’s case, she should have been allowed to apply for a protection visa after she was found to be a refugee in September 2011.
“In other cases people have been in detention for four and five years and were found to be a refugee in 2009. They have been denied natural justice and have been wrongly held for years.
“The Minister has always had the discretion to release the ASIO negative refugees. The ASIO decisions were always dubious, lacking transparency, substance and the norms of legal process.
“Now the Minister has one less excuse. Scott Morrison needs to act. He can use his discretion to release the ASIO negative refugees or he can maintain the travesty that has robbed people of their lives and mental health.”
For more information contact Ian Rintoul mob 0417 275 713
