Papua New Guinea authorities attempted to deport two Nepalese asylum seekers. One was removed from the processing centre for deportation, while the other escaped and has been pursued by police. A local PNG newspaper, The Post Courier, reported that the PNG government sought travel documents for 60 people whose asylum claims had been denied, with a view to deport them to their home countries within a few weeks. The Australian Attorney-General, George Brandis, advised parliament that these men were given ‘negative’ assessments by Papua New Guinea’s immigration authority.
The inquest into the death of Hamid Kehazaei continues this week. Kehazaei, who was held on Manus Island, died as a result of fatal blood poisoning (sepsis) in 2014. The inquest heard that staff at the Pacific International Hospital in Port Moresby appeared not to understand how critically ill Kehazaei was.
A Senate committee heard evidence this week as part of an inquiry into abuse, self-harm and neglect in regional offshore processing centres. The evidence included testimony from senior immigration department officials about the standard of healthcare in offshore detention facilities on Manus Island and Nauru. The committee heard of the case of Faysal Ishak Ahmed, a refugee on Manus Island who sought medical assistance 13 times over two months before he died.
A petition was submitted to the International Criminal Court by the Global Legal Action Network. The petition alleges that Australia’s offshore immigration detention regime could constitute a crime against humanity.