The Social Justice Network holds the Labor-Greens government full responsibility of the new loss of innocent life tonight inside Villawood Detention Centre. The Labor harsh treatment of refugees, including detention with no time limits, and the Greens treating of these highly humanitarian crises as political football, has resulted in the death of Iraqi asylum seeker, Ahmad El Eqabi. We understand that the Iraqi asylum seeker hanged himself just after midnight after losing any hope of humanitarian treatment by this coalition government.
“The situation inside all detention centres is very volatile and could explode at any minute. Yet all parliamentary political parties (Labor, Liberals and Greens) are enjoying making it a political football for cheap electoral gains” said Jamal Daoud, SJN spokesperson. “Despite our repeated warnings of the seriousness of the situation there, no one of these political parties were treating this issue as humanitarian priority”
The weak Labor government which desperately needed the Greens and independents support to form government, was and still a soft target if the Greens had the commitments to act on this issue. The Greens is clearly enjoying media stunts trying to bite more of the Labor votes, on the expense of innocent lives.
“We demanded just after the last election that the Greens take serious steps to enforce change of current inhumane treatment of refugees. Instead, the Greens were putting ridiculous bills on cosmetically changeing the current regime”
“If the reports are true and the Iraqi asylum seeker has lost his life, his blood would taint the Greens and Labor forever. This time it is not the extreme Liberal party, but the Greens - Labor “progressive government “which caused this tragic loss of human life. Both should bury their heads in shame and disgust”
The Iraqi asylum seeker leaves three daughters behind him in Iraq. We wonder who will explain to them how their father lost his life fighting for basic human right.
The detainee, a Muslim by faith, leave this life on the first day of Eid Al Adha (the celebration of sacrifice). Instead of celebrating with family and friends, these people will be left to grieve his life loss.
The network hopes that this will be the last human life to be lost in the Australian hell holes. We hope that it is time for fundamental changes to our immigration system to stop such atrocities from happening again as first step to regain Australian reputation as democracy with respect for basic human rights.
For more information, you can contact Jamal Daoud on 0404 447 272.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
After today’s historical High Court decision: Labor needs to overhaul mandatory detention system!
The Social Justice Network welcomes the historical decision by High Court today that affirmed the Australian obligation to insure natural justice for all on its land. The decision is widely expected to have big implication on treatment of boat people by this government. The decision will be landmark in breaking the deadlock this government cornered itself inside for the last year.
“While the decision itself will not directly change the government’s inhumane and harsh treatment of asylum seekers coming by boats, but the implications of the decision will enforce the government to change its policy on this issue” said Jamal Daoud, spokesperson of SJN. “The government will find itself in very difficult situation if will not abandon its harsh treatment of boat people”
“From our regular consultations with detainees, we expect that there will be flood of court cases to review the decisions to mass refuse the majority of detainees. This will have direct impact on stopping deportations of “failed” refugees”.
“Immediate result of such move will be that thousands and thousands of asylum seekers will continue to be detained in already overcrowded detention centres. This will add to the high tension in the detention system to the point of total collapse”
“Today’s decision also made the differences between detaining people inside migration zone and outside migration zone to be nil. Such result that will practically dismantle the offshore processing arrangement”
All these factors combined will need prompt action by Labor to defuse volatile situation inside detention centres and to relieve the overstretched resources in overcrowded centres.
If Labor decides to ignore the situation, issues could get out of government hands. We do not believe that Labor can survive in opinion polls if situation continues as status quo. The Labor government is under fire at the moment from all sides. This include from own party members and supporters, union officials and some Labor backbenchers.
Today’s decision and its expected implication will add more evidence of the need to overhaul mandatory detention system. Such system that proved to be expensive, both morally and financially.
The SJN vows to continue fighting against the inhumane mandatory dentition system until the release of all asylum seekers to community until their claims finalised.
For more information, you can contact Jamal Daoud on 0404 447 272.
“While the decision itself will not directly change the government’s inhumane and harsh treatment of asylum seekers coming by boats, but the implications of the decision will enforce the government to change its policy on this issue” said Jamal Daoud, spokesperson of SJN. “The government will find itself in very difficult situation if will not abandon its harsh treatment of boat people”
“From our regular consultations with detainees, we expect that there will be flood of court cases to review the decisions to mass refuse the majority of detainees. This will have direct impact on stopping deportations of “failed” refugees”.
“Immediate result of such move will be that thousands and thousands of asylum seekers will continue to be detained in already overcrowded detention centres. This will add to the high tension in the detention system to the point of total collapse”
“Today’s decision also made the differences between detaining people inside migration zone and outside migration zone to be nil. Such result that will practically dismantle the offshore processing arrangement”
All these factors combined will need prompt action by Labor to defuse volatile situation inside detention centres and to relieve the overstretched resources in overcrowded centres.
If Labor decides to ignore the situation, issues could get out of government hands. We do not believe that Labor can survive in opinion polls if situation continues as status quo. The Labor government is under fire at the moment from all sides. This include from own party members and supporters, union officials and some Labor backbenchers.
Today’s decision and its expected implication will add more evidence of the need to overhaul mandatory detention system. Such system that proved to be expensive, both morally and financially.
The SJN vows to continue fighting against the inhumane mandatory dentition system until the release of all asylum seekers to community until their claims finalised.
For more information, you can contact Jamal Daoud on 0404 447 272.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
