Saruuan Aljhelie, a 22-year-old Iraqi refugee detained at WA’s Yongah Hill detention centre, died after spending days in a critical condition at a Perth hospital following an attempt to take his own life. Aljhelie had been transferred to Yongah Hill from Villawood detention centre a few weeks ago, separating him from his family including two children. On the night of the attempted suicide, protests and riots broke out at the detention centre as detainees demanded information regarding Aljhelie, and tensions escalated with detainees setting fire to a number of the accommodation units.
This year’s Pacific Islands Forum, bringing together leaders from 18 countries across the Pacific, is being held on Nauru. While the Forum focuses on a number of regional issues and areas for collaboration, its location has brought significant attention to Australia’s offshore detention centres on Nauru. Employees of the immigration centre have been threatened with losing their jobs if they speak to journalists, and journalists have been severely restricted in what they can write about, who they can talk to, and their travel around the island.
The Nauruan Government blocked a critically ill refugee woman from being transferred to Australia, despite an Australian Federal Court order directing that the woman be flown to Australia for immediate healthcare. The Nauruan multicultural affairs secretary refused to grant the approval of the transfer, stating that she was ‘not convinced’ the woman was considered a medical emergency. Lawyers for the refugee have stated that this refusal means that the Australian home affairs minister and department are in breach of the court order.
The Nauruan President claimed that refugee children are deliberately self-harming to ‘short-circuit’ the system to get transferred to Australia, and that refugee advocates and parents are encouraging children to self-harm. Meanwhile, a Queensland doctor who was considered the most senior medical officer working with asylum seekers on Nauru has been forced to leave the island amidst ongoing disagreements regarding the transfer of refugee patients off the island.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reaffirmed her offer of welcoming all asylum seekers from Australia’s offshore detention centres to New Zealand. Australia’s and New Zealand’s foreign affairs ministers discussed refugee resettlement at a meeting in Nauru prior to the Pacific Islands Forum, with Australia stating concerns that refugees could use New Zealand as an entry point into Australia after obtaining New Zealand citizenship.