"look what the madman is doing.."

[darren_stranger]

Okay, if you're sick of reading me whine about asylum seeker issue, look away now, 'cause i've given up on LJ-cuts because the formatting always screws up for me.

(fairly warned be thee, says i).

Now, our esteemed government, who were busy locking up people for running away from Saddam Hussein's Iraq at the same time as they were telling us that regime was so evil we had to go to war against it, has for some time been focussing on detainees from Iran (y'know, 'Axis of Evil', repressive extremist state, sponsor of Terrorist Evildoers International) and threatening to deport them if they don't go voluntarily, under the terms of a secret 'Memorandum of Understanding' with the Iranian government that no-one is allowed to read.  Their latest threat, according to refugee advocates, explicitly states their intention to furnish the Iranian embassy with all the personal details of detainees before arranging their deportation.  Now, this may be something that's normally done in a deportation situation, i don't know, but using it as a threat against people who are so scared if the Iranian regime that they would rather rot for years in a prison camp (or, in many cases, attempt suicide) than risk going back is an ugly new addition the campaign of harrassment Australia has used to bully these people into returning 'voluntarily'.

i don't know what there is to do about it (the government seems to take pleasure in telling you it's going to ignore you when you write letters - "We notice that you have written to the Minister on such matters before [..and we didn't give a shit then so what makes you think we care now?]" - and it doesn't even help to say 'vote the fuckers out' because it was Labor that started these prison camps in the first place) but i just wanted to vent my disgust again.

Press release received via a mailing list:


DIMIA THREATENS BAXTER DETAINEES WITH IRANIAN EMBASSY

MEDIA RELEASE 27/07/04

DIMIA Threatens Baxter Asylum Seekers with Iranian Embassy

The Immigration Department (DIMIA) is threatening to notify the Iranian Embassy with the details of asylum seekers who refuse to sign for voluntary return and then to forcibly deport them to Iran.

Letters are being issued to asylum seekers stating the following:

"If you choose NOT to accept the offer, the process for your involuntary return to Iran will occur as follows ... Your name, date of birth and personal details will be provided to the Iranian Embassy in Canberra who will liase with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Iran to identify you. Upon identification, the Embassy will provide unauthorised Arrivals Section with a travel document for and travel arrangements will be made for your return to Iran. You will be returned to Iran as soon as reasonably practicable." DIMIA's threatened collaboration with the Iranian Embassy comes one week after the European Union accuses Iran of 'gross violations of Human Rights.':

"The European Union continues to be gravely concerned at the continued and numerous violations of human rights in Iran".

The statement detailed "unequal rights for women; the use of torture in prisons and other places of detention", pointing also to "the lack of an independent judiciary, the use of the death penalty, as well as reports of the continued use of amputations and other cruel punishments; a continuing campaign against journalists and others who seek to exercise their freedom of opinion and expression, a flawed electoral process which impedes the democratic choice of the Iranian people, and discrimination on religious grounds". Amnesty has also detailed these concerns in their 2004 Report.

"We call on the Government to listen to the grave concerns about human rights in Iran expressed by the European Union, as well as Amnesty and other International Human Rights Organisations, and to release the Iranian asylum seekers, many of  whom are now entering their 4th and 5th year in 'Administrative Detention' ", says Pamela Curr of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) in Melbourne.

Comments

[hasimir.livejournal.com]

That's a pretty dirty tactic on the government's part, but exactly the sort of thing which I've come to expect from those dirty, lying scumbags.

On the plus side, your LJ cut seems to have worked fine.

[sharplittlteeth.livejournal.com]

So writing to our own governement doesn't work.

I wonder if writing to other governments would. Ask them to apply pressure on the Australian government.

Okay. Other governments might not work, but what about international human rights organizations?

[greylock.livejournal.com]

We'd have to write to Bush.
He's got the ear of our PM!