The United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHCR) has accused Australia of violating the human rights of an Iranian citizen by deporting him from the island country over undisclosed reasons.
The Geneva-based committee ruled on Thursday that Australia’s decision to deny Mansour Leghaei a permanent visa “constituted arbitrary interference with (his) family and hence violated Article 17 and Article 23 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).”
The UN body said Leghaei “had lived more than 16 years legally in the territory of (Australia), without ever being charged or warned by the domestic authorities as regards his personal conduct.”
The committee, made up of 18 independent rights experts, also urged Australia to provide the Iranian man “with an effective and appropriate remedy, including a meaningful opportunity to challenge the refusal to grant him a permanent visa; and compensation.”
Leghaei left Australia in 2010 after authorities said there were “compelling reasons of national security” for the visa refusal, which compelled his family to choose whether to accompany the 54-year-old cleric or stay behind.
His wife and Australian-born daughter, who was 14 at the time, also left Australia although they were permitted to remain.
The development comes as in recent years, the Australian government has been under fire at home and abroad for its strict immigration policies and treatment of refugees.
According to reports released by rights groups and humanitarian organizations, asylum seekers at the Australia-run detention centers live in dangerous and demeaning conditions.
The UNHCR has described the living conditions at Australia’s detention centers in Nauru and Papua New Guinea as “harsh,” which “impact very profoundly on the men, women and children housed there.”
