CATHOLIC social justice organisation, the Edmund Rice Centre (ERC), has again warned of the dangers facing asylum seekers returned to Afghanistan from Australia.
ERC said deportations research it conducted in Afghanistan recently “has revealed further horrors confronted by asylum seekers who have been returned there by the Australian Government”.
ERC director Phil Glendenning said that the recent visit to Kabul built on research gathered during previous visits. ERC interviewed 31 returned asylum seekers.
“Sadly, 29 of these 31 are living in extreme danger,” Mr Glendenning said.
“We confirmed the deaths of another two returnees and the kidnapping of one other who is now presumed dead.
“The majority of these men are unable to live with their wives and children because of the risk their simple presence would pose to the safety of their family.
“One man I interviewed had recently survived a rocket being fired through his house. His wife and his father were killed instantly.
“He lives now in hiding in Kabul – along with his six children – all under the age of nine.”
Mr Glendenning said the returned asylum seekers were being actively targeted for having left the country, “because they are seen as being favourable to the West, and many are falsely held to have converted to Christianity”.
“According to the Independent Human Rights Commission the situation is deteriorating rapidly and security just fifteen minutes on the road to Ghazni cannot be guaranteed,” he said.
“We hold deep concern as to both the accuracy and independence of the information about the security situation for civilians in Afghanistan that was provided to asylum seekers whilst held in Australia’s detention centres.”
Mr Glendenning said the asylum seekers and their families should never have been returned to Afghanistan.
“They must not now continue to be forgotten,” he said.
He said ERC was recommitting to doing three things: “publishing the results of our research of the deportees’ cases for the UN and the Australian Government; … with this research lobbying in Australia and internationally for changes and increased safeguards and oversight; (and) rebuilding public awareness to highlight the appalling mistakes made and the need for Australia to take responsibility for what we have done, and to work to get these poor people finally to safety”.
“In the past the Edmund Rice Centre has had some success in advocating through the UN for the asylum seekers deported from Australia to achieve resettlement in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Sweden,” Mr Glendenning said.
“This year we will be taking this humanitarian appeal to these same nations again.”
Over the past 10 years the ERC has conducted research into what happens to Australia’s rejected asylum seekers.
Two major reports have been published – “Deported to Danger” and “Deported to Danger II” – leading to the making of the television documentary, “A Well Founded Fear”, which screened nationally in 2008.
