Thursday, Februrary 6
4:30pm. Organised by Refugee Action Collective.
MEDIA RELEASE
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT MUST NOT DEPORT MAN TO DANGER IN AFGHANISTAN
On Thursday 6 February, members of the Refugee Action Collective Victoria will rally at 4:30pm at the Liberal Party Headquarters, 104-110 Exhibition St, Melbourne against a deportation to danger in Afghanistan.
The effort to deport this man has now been criticised by the Afghan ambassador, after the government attempted to force it through without notifying the embassy, or the Afghan Refugees Ministry in Kabul.
This 65-year-old asylum seeker has not lived in Afghanistan for 27 years and has no family or support networks in Kabul. Like many other asylum seekers who agreed to go back under coercion from Nauru under the Howard government, he faces danger and death. Join this protest to strengthen the calls to keep him here in Australia. If the deportation goes ahead it will be the first forced deportation to Afghanistan since boats began arriving from there in the late 1990s.
The move comes as up to 80 Tamil asylum seekers across four Australian detention centres are facing being summarily deported to Sri Lanka.
Tamils in Darwin, Scherger and Christmas Island have been told they are going to be removed and have been told to "pack up and go to property." In Curtin, 20 Tamils have been locked in a room after they were summoned to a meeting at 7pm Western Australia time.
Chris Peterson from Refugee Action Collective said, "This move shows a complete disregard for human life. Afghanistan & Sri Lanka are not safe for people to be deported to. The Government must allow people to stay here."
An online petition has been started at https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/immigration-minister-scott-morris...
Background at:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-04/high-court-delays-deportation-of-e...
For more information contact Chris Peterson 0431 311 520.