Refugee Rights Action Network - Western Australia

Printer-friendly version

The Australian Government has announced a blanket suspension on the processing of new asylum claims by Afghan and Sri Lankan nationals.

This as an appalling act of political point scoring and fundamentally inconsistent with our obligations under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

The situation for many groups in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan continues to be tenuous if not downright dangerous. Activists, journalists, women and unaccompanied minors among others still face significant risks.

The Australian Government is singling out these vulnerable people simply to score political points - we need your help to end this outrageous discrimination and reverse this decision.

Take action now

Tell our government that it’s time to rise above political point-scoring and uphold fundamental human rights.

Call on the Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Immigration and Citizenship to:

• Reverse their decision to suspend the processing of new asylum applications by Sri Lankan and Afghan nationals.
• Respect the rights of all refugees and asylum seekers regardless of where they come from.
• Stop over-riding the rights of the world’s most vulnerable people for political purposes.

Send your message by following this link and using the form in the right-hand sidebar of the Amnesty page.

Personalised emails are always more effective, so rewrite the text and subject line in your own words.

What we want Australia to do

The Australian Government has a rigorous process of assessing asylum claims according to the internationally agreed criteria set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention. Under that process, individuals who are found to be at risk of torture, persecution or death, are offered our protection. Those people who are not found to have genuine claims are returned to their country of origin. As Australia is a signatory to the Refugee Convention, that process should stand.