‘Why not me?’ Refugee News

Melbourne, Australia – Australian activists and refugees have welcomed the release of four men in immigration detention in the city of Melbourne, but authorities say they must now release dozens of men who remain in state custody, mostly in a city hotel where COVID has been caught. 19.

Ahmad Zahir Azizi, an asylum seeker in Afghanistan, was among the men released on bail on Saturday.

The 37-year-old, who spent eight years in detention, including six years in a New Guinea maritime detention facility, told Al Jazeera he could hardly believe he was free.

He said he likes to breathe fresh air and feel the sun on his skin.

“It simply came to our notice then [went] to the mosque … I looked as I walked [back]Maybe I was thinking about security [was behind] ni! ” he said with a laugh.

Azizi is now awaiting ID and a bank account. While pleased with the release, the Australian government has said it wants to give the same rights to those staying at the Park Hotel in Melbourne, where many detainees were caught with coronavirus last month.

Their release brings the number of asylum seekers released from immigration detention since December 2020 to 178.

Campaigners say 81 refugees are still in custody. Of these, 40 are in the Park Hotel.

Most were brought to Australia from PNG and Nauru marine processing sites in 2019 due to health concerns.

A man who remains at the Park Hotel said people who are still in custody suffer when someone is released.

One said he was in pain because he was not given the same rights. “What’s the difference between me and them?” asked the 32-year-old. “Why not me?”

“You don’t know when [will] get out … Well [the authorities told] ‘the next two, three months’, you’ll be happy. You’d say, “Oh, two, three months is nothing.”

“But they want to keep you in the dark. So you know nothing. This makes you very depressed and unhappy. They want you to suffer. ”

Graham Thom, Amnesty International’s Australian refugee adviser, agreed.

Although he welcomed the release of four asylum seekers, he said: “The arbitrary nature of these decisions, which leaves about 40 men detained as it spreads across the COVID-19 hotel, is unacceptable.”

He added: “All asylum seekers still detained around Australia should be released immediately to the community.”

The Australian government had no immediate comment. It does not say what criteria were used in the decision to release Azizi and the other three.

Continuous uncertainty

Meanwhile, other campaigns have said the Australian Government needs to provide more support to refugees who are released into the community.

At the moment, most are released through a temporary bridge visa that allows them to work in Australia. But they are not subsidized in addition to bonds worth $ 100 ($ 73.5).

“[The released refugees] they said they only have three weeks of accommodation and then they are on their own, ”said Chris Breen of the Refugee Action Collective. “They have no money and have been given Australian Woolworths for $ 100 [a supermarket chain] without clarifying how or where the bonds should be used. ‘

The men “are being thrown into the community without help,” he added.

Jana Favero of the Asylum Seeker Resource Center (ASRC) also expressed concern that there is no way to relocate to Australia for most of the refugees released in the community.

“Some of them … are on their way to the United States or have asked to locate Canada there,” he said. “Others need more time.”

So the truth is that many men continue to be uncertain about their fate despite being released from custody.

“First, they are released with the help of a funded government, but only for a couple of weeks … What happens when that date arrives?” he said. “Then their bridge visas are five months away. What will happen after that date?”

Moz Azimitabar, an asylum seeker who was released in the community earlier this year, said she has to apply for a visa renewal every six months because she is applying for permanent residence in Australia.

The 35-year-old Kurdish said he still struggles with the trauma of eight years of detention and is deeply afraid of being close to people.

“I don’t want to get close to me, be around me or get close to me,” he said. “During the arrest … they searched my body more than 400 times.”

“When I say Pat search,” he added. “… they touch my whole body, they just touch it [and] I felt [like they] they kill me. ‘

Returning to the Park Hotel, the detainees are expected to be released from indefinite detention.

The 32-year-old refugee who spoke first stated how many people “can’t stand quarantine for even two weeks.”

“But we’ve been here for over eight years,” he said.

“We are suffering,” he added. “We are refugees. We are innocent people. We shouldn’t be here. ‘