Minister attempts to deport suicidal detainee

Minister for Immigration attempts to deport suicidal detainee

"A suicidal asylum seeker, who has been in detention since 2004, and who only a few weeks ago was diagnosed as a patient with 'suicidal ideation' by South Australian psychiatrists in the Glenside psychiatric hospital, is under threat of being deported today or tomorrow by the Minister for Immigration unless lawyers for the man are successful in their bid to prevent the moves to deportation," WA Rights group Project SafeCom noted this morning.

"It seems that all the mea-culpas by the Immigration Department over its wrongful deportations and inhumane incarcerations of refugees and Australian residents and citizens alike, are extremely shallow and hollow, as the intended deportation is in breach of the medical provisions in place under the Migration Act," spokesman Jack H Smit commented on the report received from advocates.

"The grave situation where refugees, asylum seekers and immigration detainees are "in danger from the Immigration Department and its Minister" - a situation that has gradually developed in the last five years - seems to remain in place, if, as is in the case with 'Ali', a DIMIA Superintendent can override the medical opinion of psychiatrists and place him in the stark Baxter detention centre, and within days of suicide attempts, seeks to deport the man."

"As was the case 'before Cornelia Rau and Vivian Alvarez', refugee claimants and immigration detainees need to be protected from DIMIA. This remains the shocking truth in Australia."

The South Australian public advocate, Jonathan Harley, has - also this month - expressed serious concerns about the wellbeing and the treatment of the man from Turkish Kurdistan, and recent suicide attempts have seen him being transferred from Baxter to the Glenside facility, back to Baxter and again back to Glenside.

Reports received from advocates suggest that, after the DIMIA Superintendent overruled medical advice of doctors, psychiatrists and the public advocate and returned the man to Baxter from Glenside, DIMIA intends to deport the man, if need be by force, tomorrow or Thursday.

Under Australia's Migration Act an agreement is in place that detainees with medical conditions are not to be deported.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

1. Calls for hospital transfer of Baxter detainee

ABC ONLINE NEWS
Wednesday, January 18, 2006. 7:34am (AEDT)

The lawyers for a Turkish man, who is facing deportation, fear for his mental state and say he should be transferred from the Baxter Detention Centre to Adelaide's Glenside psychiatric hospital.

Ali Beyazkilinc, 46, has spent two years in detention and is scheduled for deportation tomorrow.

But his lawyers hope an injunction in the Federal Court this afternoon will allow him to fully recover before he is removed at another time.

Solicitor Abby Hamdan says Mr Beyazkilinc suffers from mental illness and should not be kept at Baxter.

"He attempted twice to take his life," she said.

"He was in Glenside and recently attempted again to take his life and he was in Port Augusta hospital for a while.

"The Government is going to commit another mistake, where they're going to deport someone who's unfit to travel.".

But in a letter to lawyers, the Immigration Department says Ali Beyazkilinc is receiving ongoing care at Baxter.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200601/s1549691.htm

2. Suicide bid on return to Baxter

The Age
By Andra Jackson
December 29, 2005

A DETAINEE who was returned to the Baxter detention centre from psychiatric care a week ago is now in hospital after attempting an overdose.

More at http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/suicide-bid-on-return-to-baxter/2005/12/28/1135732642220.html

3. Baxter detainee back in hospital

ABC West Coast SA | Local News
Thursday, 29 December 2005. 08:46 (AEDT)

A man who was transferred from Adelaide's Glenside Psychiatric Hospital to the Baxter detention centre against the wishes of his advocates is now in the Port Augusta Hospital under observation.

The 45-year-old Turkish Kurd, who is appealing against his deportation, was treated in Glenside for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

His supporters say he has twice tried to commit suicide.

They have accused the Immigration Department of putting his life at risk by returning him to Baxter.

The man was taken to Port Augusta Hospital on Monday amid claims he had made another suicide attempt.

But the department says the man was taken there after fasting for 24 hours and doctors have found no medical evidence that he has tried to kill himself.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200512/1539086.htm?eyre

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