联合国人权专家表示：澳大利亚对46名难民的拘留是“残忍和有辱人格的”

日内瓦（2013年8月22日）–一个联合国委员会在审查其案件后表示：澳大利亚以安全为由无限期拘留46名得到承认的难民已构成残忍、不人道和有辱人格的待遇，并将对他们造成严重的心理伤害。

总部位于日内瓦的人权事务委员会表示：澳大利亚应该释放这些难民并向其提供赔偿和康复，他们中的许多人已经被关押了至少两年半。

这些难民中有42名是来自斯里兰卡的泰米尔人，3名来自缅甸的罗兴亚人和1名科威特人，他们向人权理事会提出申述，称自己无法再澳大利亚的法庭上质疑自己被扣押的合法性。

他们被承认为不能遣送回原籍国的难民，但却因被视为安全威胁而不能获得在澳大利亚停留的签证，因此被关押在移民拘留设施中。

由18名独立人权专家组成的委员会认为：该国对难民的拘禁已构成任意拘留，违反了《公民权利和政治权利国际公约》（ICCPR）关于任何人都不应受到任意逮捕或拘留的第9条规定。委员会的结论主要基于难民们未被告知获得负面安全评估的原因，因而不能对无限期拘留诉诸法律。

委员会成员于7月25日通过本周四发布的结论表示：“他们被拘留的任意性、长期和/或无限期性、拒绝向其提供相关信息和条约权利及恶劣的拘留条件将对其造成严重的心理伤害。”

他们补充道：这已违反了《公民权利和政治权利国际公约》第七条规定“任何人都不得受到酷刑或残忍、不人道或有辱人格的待遇或处罚。”

人权事务委员会表示，根据《公约》第二条规定，澳大利亚有义务向这46名难民提供有效补救。这包括在合适条件下对其分别释放，并为其提供康复服务和适当补偿。

人权事务委员会在总结中表示，澳大利亚还有义务采取措施预防类似侵犯发生。

人权事务委员会监督缔约国对《公民权利和政治权利国际公约》的实施情况。它根据公约授权委员会审查个人投诉的第一任择议定书审议此案。

BACKGROUND:

Most of the refugees arrived in Australian territorial waters between March 2009 and December 2010 and were first disembarked at Christmas Island. Five were rescued at sea and initially disembarked in Indonesia before arriving at Christmas Island. At the time of their submission to the Committee, they were being held at several detention centres, including Scherger Immigration Detention Centre in Queensland; Villawood Immigration Residential Housing in Sydney; Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation; Darwin Immigration Centre; Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre in Victoria and Christmas Island.

In their complaints, lodged in 2011 and 2012, the refugees argued that, as they were not informed of the reasons for their security assessment, they were unable to identify any possible legal errors which could allow them to apply for a judicial review in the Australian courts.

The Australian authorities argued that all the claims were inadmissible. They also said solutions were being explored, including resettlement or the safe return to the refugees’ countries of origin if the risk of harm no longer existed. However, it was not appropriate for individuals with an adverse security assessment to live in the Australian community while solutions were sought. Providing people with the classified details would also undermine the security assessment process and compromise Australia’s security.

Since the complaints were lodged, seven of the refugees -- a mother and her son, who was born in 2007, and a family of five -- have now been granted visas and released from immigration detention into the Australian community.

ENDS

The Committee's two decisions can be found here: :

http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/AUS/CCPR_C_108_D_2094_2011_20720_E.pdf
http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/AUS/CCPR_C_108_D_2136_2012_20721_E.pdf

*The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CCPR.aspx

To learn more about the Human Rights Committee visit: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CCPR/Pages/CCPRIndex.aspx

Human Rights Committee individual complaints procedure:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/TBPetitions/Pages/HRTBPetitions.aspx

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