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| Eaten Fish: Iranian asylum seeker and cartoonist's refugee claim rejected | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Eaten Fish, the award-winning cartoonist and Iranian asylum seeker detained on Manus Island, has had his refugee claim rejected and been told he must return to Iran, despite severe mental illness and Iran refusing to accept asylum seekers who are forcibly repatriated. | Eaten Fish, the award-winning cartoonist and Iranian asylum seeker detained on Manus Island, has had his refugee claim rejected and been told he must return to Iran, despite severe mental illness and Iran refusing to accept asylum seekers who are forcibly repatriated. |
| In a letter dated 17 October, Papua New Guinea’s minister for foreign affairs and immigration told 25-year-old Ali, who goes by the pen name Eaten Fish, that a final decision had been made to reject his application for refugee status. | In a letter dated 17 October, Papua New Guinea’s minister for foreign affairs and immigration told 25-year-old Ali, who goes by the pen name Eaten Fish, that a final decision had been made to reject his application for refugee status. |
| The letter informed Ali he was now in the country unlawfully and would be detained indefinitely – until he either left voluntarily or was forcibly removed. | The letter informed Ali he was now in the country unlawfully and would be detained indefinitely – until he either left voluntarily or was forcibly removed. |
| Janet Galbraith, an Australian poet and and human rights worker who advocates for Ali, said the status determination process was a sham, since Ali was too ill to be able to take part in the interviews and was unable to fully explain his trauma to the authorities. | Janet Galbraith, an Australian poet and and human rights worker who advocates for Ali, said the status determination process was a sham, since Ali was too ill to be able to take part in the interviews and was unable to fully explain his trauma to the authorities. |
| “Mr Fish has not been well enough to disclose to immigration authorities the information expected of him in order to complete and comply with the RSD [refugee status determination] interview process,” Galbraith said. | “Mr Fish has not been well enough to disclose to immigration authorities the information expected of him in order to complete and comply with the RSD [refugee status determination] interview process,” Galbraith said. |
| In a statement passed to the Guardian via Galbraith, Ali said: “‘I attended all of them [refugee status determination meetings]. I don’t remember how many. My memory is not good now but I think there were five important ones but I was sick and couldn’t pass it. | In a statement passed to the Guardian via Galbraith, Ali said: “‘I attended all of them [refugee status determination meetings]. I don’t remember how many. My memory is not good now but I think there were five important ones but I was sick and couldn’t pass it. |
| “I didn’t tell them my story because I do not feel safe to tell them and now they say I am not a refugee and want to send me to Iran, where I will be hanged or keep me in a prison here for a long time.” | “I didn’t tell them my story because I do not feel safe to tell them and now they say I am not a refugee and want to send me to Iran, where I will be hanged or keep me in a prison here for a long time.” |
| Galbraith said Ali suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe obsessive compulsive disorder that causes him to wash himself until he bleeds. In one medical complaint seen by Guardian Australia, Ali describes debilitating panic attacks and pain all over his body. | Galbraith said Ali suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe obsessive compulsive disorder that causes him to wash himself until he bleeds. In one medical complaint seen by Guardian Australia, Ali describes debilitating panic attacks and pain all over his body. |
| Galbraith said Ali’s anxiety is so severe he sometimes collapses and Ali cannot speak publicly about his reasons for seeking asylum for fear that his family in Iran will suffer retribution. | Galbraith said Ali’s anxiety is so severe he sometimes collapses and Ali cannot speak publicly about his reasons for seeking asylum for fear that his family in Iran will suffer retribution. |
| Ali has also complained of physical and sexual assault while in detention. In response to one of his complaints of physical assault by police on Manus Island, International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) said that “physical findings during assessment corroborated resident’s claims of assault”. | Ali has also complained of physical and sexual assault while in detention. In response to one of his complaints of physical assault by police on Manus Island, International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) said that “physical findings during assessment corroborated resident’s claims of assault”. |
| Galbraith said the negative assessment needs to be overturned, since the process was not fair. | Galbraith said the negative assessment needs to be overturned, since the process was not fair. |
| “There are so many men in this situation because there are so many incredibly sick men,” Galbraith said. “So going through this process is impossible. It’s not something they can actually participate in. So they get these negative findings because they are so damaged and so sick. | “There are so many men in this situation because there are so many incredibly sick men,” Galbraith said. “So going through this process is impossible. It’s not something they can actually participate in. So they get these negative findings because they are so damaged and so sick. |
| “What I think, there needs to be recognition of the damage and the fact this so-called process can’t happen because of the damage that is being inflicted on these men in the process itself.” | “What I think, there needs to be recognition of the damage and the fact this so-called process can’t happen because of the damage that is being inflicted on these men in the process itself.” |
| A spokesman for the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection said: “The processing of asylum claims in Papua New Guinea is a matter for the government of PNG.” | A spokesman for the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection said: “The processing of asylum claims in Papua New Guinea is a matter for the government of PNG.” |