Over 190 individuals and organisations have signed a statement condemning Australia's asylum seeker policy, demanding the government adopt alternative solutions consistent with the Refugee Convention.
The Guardian reported that the 190 experts, which included leading human rights lawyers, religious leaders and refugee advocates, accused both major political parties of “wilfully and deliberately” pursuing harmful policies against asylum seekers.
The statement accused the Australian government of “pursuing a policy of detention for asylum-seekers, both adults and children, in spite of clear evidence that it causes psychiatric disorders, self-harm and suicide”, “engaging in forced deportations to situations of danger with confirmed fatal outcomes” and “encouraging racist media coverage.”
See the full statement here.
It comes after Guardian Australia reported that the former chief psychiatrist in charge of the mental health of all refugees held by Australia, Dr Peter Young, likened the country's policy an asylum-seekers to torture. He said,
“If we take the definition of torture to be the deliberate harming of people in order to coerce them into a desired outcome, I think it does fulfil that definition.”
See more from the Guardian here.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
