Refugee Deaths in Australia

These women at the Sydney Palm Sunday Rally in 2016 joined others using portraits of the victims to protest against the deaths of refugees.  Rezene Engeda, from Eritrea, drowned himself after being directed to attend a meeting with immigration officials.  It appeared his asylum application had been rejected and he would have to return to Eritrea, where he expected to be imprisoned and tortured.  Ali Rahimi, an Iranian political dissident, died of heart failure in 2012 while held at a Sydney detention centre.  A doctor had recommended his release after finding he had a history of torture and several health conditions, including post-traumatic stress and depression, that were exacerbated by detention.  The Australian Human Rights Commission found his detention was ‘not necessary’ and breached his rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  It recommended the  government pay compensation to his estate.  Khodayar Amini, a Hazara from Afghanistan, died in 2015 after setting himself on fire in bushland near Melbourne.  He had spent three years in detention or community release without work, study, or travel rights.  He reported beatings by police and feared deportation.  Friends observed his deteriorating physical and mental health during this time.