UN claims that Australia has violated human rights by detaining refugees

[Edwin]

Australia has been found guilty of almost 150 violations of international law over the indefinite detention of 46 refugees in one of the most damning assessments of human rights in this country by a United Nations committee.

The federal government has been ordered to release the refugees, who have been in detention for more than four years, "under individually appropriate conditions" and to provide them with rehabilitation and compensation.

Consistent with Australia's treaty obligations, the government has been given 180 days to assure the committee that it has acted on the recommendations and taken steps to prevent "similar violations in future".
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The UN's Human Rights Committee concluded that the continued detention of the refugees, most of them Sri Lankan Tamils, is "cumulatively inflicting serious psychological harm" and in breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The committee's investigation followed a complaint lodged on behalf of the refugees in August 2011 by Professor Ben Saul, of the Sydney Centre for International Law, who said the finding proved the "grave lawlessness" of Australian refugee policies.

"It is a major embarrassment for Australia, which is a member of the Security Council and often criticises human rights in other countries. Australia should do the right thing by respecting its international obligations and treating the refugees decently," Professor Saul told Fairfax Media.

The committee found that, whatever justification there may have been for an initial detention, the government had not demonstrated on an individual basis that the continuous indefinite detention of the refugees was justified.

"The State party (government) has not demonstrated that other, less intrusive, measures could not have achieved the same end of compliance with the State party's need to respond to the security risk that the adult authors (refugees) are said to represent," it said.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/australia-violated-refugees-human-rights-un-says-20130822-2sdxq.html#ixzz2csSkoaMe

[Br.IanVonTurpie]

The federal government has been ordered to release the refugees, who have been in detention for more than four years, "under individually appropriate conditions" and to provide them with rehabilitation and compensation.


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What exactly do they have in mind? We give them a parade and stick them up in Government house and build mansions for those who deliberately broke the law to be here? Rehabilitation? What would that entail? We build a seaside resort for them and a country club?



Consistent with Australia's treaty obligations, the government has been given 180 days to assure the committee that it has acted on the recommendations and taken steps to prevent "similar violations in future".
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Those treaties we signed are not in our interests! Who voted for them ? Who said we should loose sovereignity only to be undermined by "THEIR RULES?"




The UN's Human Rights Committee concluded that the continued detention of the refugees, most of them Sri Lankan Tamils, is "cumulatively inflicting serious psychological harm" and in breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.



Well they came here on their own accord .. LONG AFTER THEIR WAR WAS OVER! Seems the Sri Lankan government is assisting the Australian one in posting them back to their homeland! What are they trying to say? the "poor darlings" are getting their hearts broken with disappointment they never got a visa?

IT ISN'T EVERYBODIES GIVEN RIGHT TO COME HERE AND GET HANDOUTS! WHY ARE THEY MAKING IT SOUND LIKE IT IS AND WE SHOULD FEEL "GUILTY"?