A report by the Human Rights Law Centre has found that Autralia’s policy of cooperating with the Sri Lankan government on the issue of asylum seekers’ arrival by boat, prevents genuine refugees from accessing safety and increases the likelihood of being subject to torture.
The country currently seeks to stop boats carrying refugees from entering Australia’s territorial waters, and cooperates with the Sri Lankan government to return the people. HLRC accused Australia of blocking the escape of people in need of protection, saying that historically, 90% of arrivals from the island were found to be genuine refugees.
“The entire approach is flawed because it fails to recognise that many Sri Lankans are in genuine and urgent need of protection. Instead of providing protection, Australia blocks their pathway to safety and puts Sri Lankan asylum seekers at risk of torture and mistreatment in the hands of Sri Lankan military and police,” said the author of the report, Emily Howie.
Australia’s immigration policies has been severely criticised by human rights organisations in the past, but the government always claimed there was no evidence to support the allegations of torture of returnees.
The report however says that evidence for abuses is well-established.
“Despite Australian Government rhetoric suggesting that all Sri Lankan migrants are economic, the evidence of ongoing human rights abuses creating asylum flows is well-established. A recent report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights points to attacks on religious minorities, journalists, human rights defenders and any critics of the government. She also raised extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary detention, disappearances and sexual violence against women by security forces,” the report said.
See full report here.