May 09, 2016•Update: May 11, 2016
MELBOURNE, Australia
Australia’s immigration minister confirmed Monday that months may pass before authorities decide what action to take after one of its offshore detention centers holding more than 750 asylum seekers was ruled illegal by its host country.
Peter Dutton said officials had conducted “constructive” talks with their counterparts in the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) over the Manus Island processing facility.
“We will have what I think will be detailed and long-run discussions with PNG to help them in relation to this particular issue,” the Australian Associated Press quoted him telling reporters in Brisbane.
Last month, PNG's Supreme Court ruled the Manus center unconstitutional, prompting Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to order its closure.
Under its immigration policy, Australia detains asylum seekers who arrive by boat, in processing centers on Manus and Nauru, where conditions have been described as appalling by rights advocates.
Last week, 757 asylum seekers detained at Manus filed legal action asking to immediately be moved to Australia, and requesting an order to impede Australia’s government from sending them to Nauru.
They are accusing the Australian and PNG governments of "gross" human rights violations such as forcible detention, false imprisonment, torture and degrading treatment, alleging that their detention falls under arbitrary and indefinite detention under international law.
