Iran has turned down a proposed deal to accept the return of failed asylum seekers against their will, meaning several hundred Iranians in Australian detainment facilities could effectively be left in limbo – unable to settle here, and unable to return.
Iranian foreign affairs minister
Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif publically turned down
Julie Bishop’s hopeful deal today during a visit to
Canberra.
The Guardian reports he said
“we cannot force anybody to come back to Iran but if anybody wants to come back voluntarily, we always take our citizens with pride.”
Currently, nearly 20% of all asylum seekers in Australian detention facilities or offshore detention are Iranian, equalling around 9,000 all told. While the majority ultimately have their claims of asylum accepted, those who don’t – and refuse to return of their own volition – now seem to face the prospect of indefinite detention.
Reaching an agreement with Iran on an involuntary resettlement program would be a diplomatic win for the current Australian government. Even then, conditions for those who do return – even voluntarily – are reportedly dire. Despite the minister’s statement repatriated asylum seekers are accepted with pride, interrogations and surveillance have been described as the norm upon return, even for those who choose to go back.
The prospects for returning Iranians are especially bleak considering Australia’s official stance on the nation’s own human rights abuses. The government formally takes issue with Iran’s stance on capital punishment and torture, among other violations. And Australia still tried sending these would-be refugees back there, against their will.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Photo: Handout / Getty.
