Refugee Rights Action Network WA
Justice had one small win today as just a few hours before a Tamil father was due to be returned to Sri Lanka, his deportation order was stopped by the Hight Court.
Refugee Rights Action Network has been working feverishly all week to assist in blocking this crime.
Friday the Federal Magistrates court dismissed an application for an injunction on the deportation. However on Friday Mr F’s case was added to a High Court Challenge to elements of off-shore processing that violate procedural fairness. The lawyers felt that the acceptance of these documents would be enough. They contacted the governments solicitors Friday afternoon to “request” the deportation order be stopped. RRAN members visited the two men facing deportation and it became clear the government and Serco were intending to continue with the deportation irrespective of an active case in process!
RRAN was on site when Mr F was moved from Perth IDC to another immigration facility and spent many hours Sunday blockading the centre and communicating with asylum seekers.
On Monday, the day Mr F was due to be put on flight SQ 226 Singapore Airlines at 3:55 PM, RRAN staged a protest again at Perth IDC and successfully prevented Serco from removing another man due to be deported tomorrow. Networking with activists across the country, we supplied information as well as received updates from the courts. First the frightening news the Magistrates Court declined again to hear a case for an injunction as they declared they had no jurisdiction. Then the agonising wait for the High Court to decide…
Mere hours before the flight was scheduled to leave, and after Mr F had been removed to the airport, the news we were all waiting for came through.
INJUNCTION GRANTED! We made sure all the men inside heard the news!
Amid the usual chants of “Freedom” and “Refugees are welcome here” we included “This time we won: we got an injunction” and “No deportation today”
The man due to be deported tomorrow got word to us: “You all rock!”
We were relieved when the news came that Mr F was removed from the international airport but of course this was tempered by the news he was returned to detention.
We now wait to find out the fate of the second man who is due to be deported tomorrow unless another injunction is granted.
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