Nauru asylum seeker takes mistreatment case to UN, alleges denial of access to traumatic sister and long hours in police custody

An Iranian asylum seeker from Australia’s Nauru detention centre has taken his complaint of alleged mistreatment to the United Nations human rights agency. The complaint included unlawful detention and denial of access to his sister, who was in trauma.

The young man alleged that he was forcibly removed without allowing to meet his sister, who was raped in Nauru in May and had made several attempts to commit suicide, AAP reported.

The young Iranian made the complaint to the staff of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, a UN agency which visited Nauru. He urged the agency to investigate and claimed it has agreed to do so. The asylum seeker said he just wanted to see his sister because she tried to commit suicide.

“Because we are family, because I'm her brother, because when my sister tried to suicide, it is normal that I'm getting upset and I want to see that what's happening," the young refugee said.

The 20-year-old man told the office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that he was detained for more than 30 hours in a cell at the Australian offshore processing centre, ABC radio reported.

Detained without charge

The man told U.N. staff that he was arrested without any charge. All he asked for was to meet his sister, who was allegedly raped on the island in May and tried to kill herself twice.

Recalling the incident, the brother said he was with his mother one night in the month of July. The time was around 9 o'clock and they were waiting for her medication. Suddenly, he heard his sister's scream and understood that she had taken insecticide.

Hearing the scream, he started to run towards her but was stopped by detention centre guards, who grabbed him and forcibly pushed him to the floor. Later, Nauruan police arrived and he was arrested. A fellow detainee named Fariborz also said the guards were very rude with him.

The witness said the Iranian youngster wanted to see his sister for just five seconds and kept begging with them. No matter how much he begged, they did not let him see his sister and took him to prison.

Torture in cell

The young man said he was locked in a cell in the police station that had no furniture and was kept there for more than 30 hours while many passersby, including guards, urinated through the bars.

The Immigration Department said it has put in place mechanisms for open and confidential arrangements to report any concerns. The Nauruan government has denied the man's allegations.

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