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Tamil asylum seekers deported from Australia raped and tortured

An investigation by a researcher into Australia’s asylum seekers policies found that those deported back to Sri Lanka faced “unthinkable sexual abuse and torture".

Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Dr David Corlett, who travelled to Sri Lanka under the guise of a tourist to establish contact with asylum seekers that had been deported from Australia and targeted by the Sri Lankan state, highlighted several accounts of rape and torture that could be attributed to the “highest levels” of Sri Lankan governance.

 “One woman, who says she had political problems in Sri Lanka, said the Sri Lankan military raped her before she eventually boarded a boat and fled. On her second attempt to escape, Australian border officials intercepted her vessel," said Corlett.

Highlighting previous conclusions that torture in Sri Lanka could be attributed to the “highest level” of government, Corlett noted similar findings from previous international investigations, including a study by human rights Lawyer Yasmin Sooka entitled 'An Unfinished War: Torture and Sexual Violence in Sri Lanka 2009-2014'.

“Ms Sooka's report found that even now, years after the end of the civil war, people accused of being associated with the Tigers are being abducted by men in "white vans" and then tortured, including branding with hot rods.  Men and women are sexually abused and raped, including by multiple perpetrators. Ms Sooka told me that this is planned and systematic and goes to the "highest level" of government,” Corlett added.

Describing the ordeal of another Tamil man that was sent back to Sri Lanka, Corlett said,

“After months of monitoring by Sri Lankan security forces he was abducted and taken to a secret location.  He says that for more than two months, he was tortured, including having his fingernails torn out and being hung upside down and beaten. He was accused of being associated with the defeated Tamil Tigers. Later, he says he was picked up again and taken to the notorious fourth floor of the Criminal Investigations Department in Colombo. This time, he says his wrists and ankles were tied behind his back and he was hung from a pole between two chairs.”


The investigation will be aired Tuesday night, on the Australian TV Channel SBS ONE, at 9:00PM AEST.

A live stream can be found here.

Australia would have breached refugee convention if Tamils detained at sea deported says UN (23 September 2014)

Deported asylum seekers face abuse on return to Sri Lanka (06 August 2014)

Ongoing torture of Tamils in Sri Lanka must be investigated by UNHRC - Freedom From Torture (24 September 2014)

Sexual violence against Tamils ‘systematic’, ‘part of policy framework’: Interview with Yasmin Sooka (10 June 2014)

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