All eight of the Iranian asylum seekers screened-out and threatened with deportation have been screened in just a day before the first scheduled removal.
The eight Iranians were seized from Wickham Point detention centre, outside Darwin, in the early hours of Sunday morning, 19 January, and transported to Northern Immigration Detention Centre (NIDC). The eight were told they would be deported on dates between 27 January and 31 January.
As late as Saturday 25 January, immigration officers at NIDC told them there was ‘no way their air tickets would be cancelled, and because Immigration held their passports, Immigration could do anything they liked with them’.
Now, none of them will now be deported, and they will now be allowed to make protection applications.
“This is not the first time that screened-out asylum seekers have been hastily screened back in,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.
“The government knows that screening out is a shocking and legally dubious practice and they are desperate to avoid it being scrutinised by the courts.
“By putting the Iranians under the threat of deportation, of returning them to their jailers, the government has inflicted a form of mental torture. They have been subjected to extreme anxiety and despair only for the government to admit it was wrong.
“Screening out should be dropped. It is an administrative procedure used to deny asylum seekers the right for their protection claims to be properly heard. But every time it looks a case will get to court, the government backflips.”
Another 45 Tamils in Curtin detention centre were told last week that they were screened out and would be sent to Sri Lanka. It is also expected that they will also now be screened-in.
For further information contact Ian Rintoul mob 0417 275 713