Sat 5 Mar 2016 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
A gay couple, who met and fell in love at Australia’s Nauru detention camp after fleeing Iran, say they have been beaten and verbally abused on the Micronesian island yet the Australian Government will not transfer them. A photo of the two men, altered to protect their identity The Iranian refugees, who now live within the Nauruan community, say they have repeatedly been beaten, have had rocks thrown at them and out of fear spend their days confined to a small locked unit, leaving only once a week when escorted by a case manager. They say this abuse escalated after leaving the refugee centre, although they say they also suffered harassment from other detainees while in the centre. Australian Immigration Minister, Peter Dutton, has refused to help the refugees relocate to Australia and the Immigration Department says refugees at Nauru are able to accept resettlement in Cambodia. A spokesperson for the Department says it was “aware of an incident involving the individual” and concerns regarding the treatment of gay people are taken into account prior to a detainee’s transfer to a country, saying; ”It is not Australian government policy for illegal maritime arrivals to settle in Australia. Refugees in Nauru may apply to Cambodia for permanent settlement.” Speaking through an interpreter during an phone interview with Fairfax Media, one of the men, known by the pseudonym Nima, says; ”We would love to live in a country where we can love each other without any barriers … and Australia is such a country. "Most of the time we just lie on the bed because we can't do anything … we are mentally suffering. We can't do anything else.” An All Out online petition has been created urging the Australian Prime Minister to “bring Nima and Ashkan to safety in Australia and halt your cruel detention process”.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 5th March 2016 - 10:52am