A Sudanese man who fled war and persecution and was injured in riots in Manus Island in PNG has been secretly deported from Melbourne to Christmas Island.
Daniel Webb, from the Human Rights Law Centre in Australia, says the deportation happened on Tuesday morning under cover of darkness, with no notice given to the man’s lawyer.
He says the man, who cannot be named but is using the pseudonym of Waleed, spent three years being moved from centre to centre, and was injured in the riots at Manus Island that also caused the death of the Iranian asylum seeker Reza Berati.
Mr Webb says Waleed and all asylum seekers in Australia now live in fear.
“We’ve got to realise in this country that it’s just not OK to lock up innocent people indefinitely in tiny islands and bounce them around the Pacific like they’re sort of pawns on a chessboard. We need to assess their refugee claims and if they’re found to be refugees allow them to begin rebuilding their lives.”
