Letter from DASSAN member to Minister Bowen
( return to information page on deportation here)
Dear Minister
It is with great sadness and alarm that i write to you.
I understand that your department will deport a young afghan asylum seeker, Mr
Ismail Mirza Jan, this saturday from the Villawood Detention Centre back to
Afghanistan.
Ismail is a Hazara man and as you would no doubt be aware, Hazari people are
persecuted and murdered in Afghanistan on a regular basis by the Taliban and
the Pashtoon dominated regime that effectively controls affairs within that
tragic and strife-torn country. You may be sending this unfortunate young man
(he is 27) back to his death. I wonder how you feel about that.
The Howard Government forcibly deported 172 Hazara men in 2001 back to
Afghanistan - at least 20 of those men were murdered by the Taliban upon their
return. It alarms me, as a long term Labor voter and humanitarian, that a Labor
government would stoop to the same tactics employed by the Howard Government.
I realise that Ismail lied about his background and failed to disclose the fact
that he had previously been denied refugee status in the UK. That is extremely
unfortunate and a foolish thing for young Ismail to do. But I wonder if you can
appreciate why he would so such a thing or what even you would do in his
situation.
Ismail fled Afghanistan when he was 17 and has been seeking asylum for 10 years
now. He is a desperate and frightened young man who probably now believes he is
being sent back to his death.
Where is the leadership on this issue? The Labor Party is as morally bankrupt
on this matter as its opponents. A more humane (and no doubt cost effective)
approach would be to combine community detention with providing these people
with opportunities to work thereby contributing to the Australian economy and
helping them raise funds to send back to their families who live dangerous
lives either in Afghanistan or in a refugee camp in Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Indonesia or Malaysia.
I visit detainees at NIDC in Darwin on a regular basis, many of whom are Harara
Afgans, and can tell you these are good people who only want a chance to make a
contribution towards society and the opportunity to help their families and
live a peaceful, safe life.
Your government seems completely unable to grasp that simple point or to do
anything meaningful towards realising such an outcome.
I wonder how you manage to sleep at night. I am pleading with you, on behalf of
Ismail and the many other Hazari people in Australian detention centres who are
now fearful they too may be sent back to their deaths, that you reverse this
decision and show compassion to this young man, allowing him the opportunity
via community detention to earn the right to a safe and better life in
Australia.
Yours sincerely
Tim Walsh
( return to information page on deportation here)
Dear Minister
It is with great sadness and alarm that i write to you.
I understand that your department will deport a young afghan asylum seeker, Mr
Ismail Mirza Jan, this saturday from the Villawood Detention Centre back to
Afghanistan.
Ismail is a Hazara man and as you would no doubt be aware, Hazari people are
persecuted and murdered in Afghanistan on a regular basis by the Taliban and
the Pashtoon dominated regime that effectively controls affairs within that
tragic and strife-torn country. You may be sending this unfortunate young man
(he is 27) back to his death. I wonder how you feel about that.
The Howard Government forcibly deported 172 Hazara men in 2001 back to
Afghanistan - at least 20 of those men were murdered by the Taliban upon their
return. It alarms me, as a long term Labor voter and humanitarian, that a Labor
government would stoop to the same tactics employed by the Howard Government.
I realise that Ismail lied about his background and failed to disclose the fact
that he had previously been denied refugee status in the UK. That is extremely
unfortunate and a foolish thing for young Ismail to do. But I wonder if you can
appreciate why he would so such a thing or what even you would do in his
situation.
Ismail fled Afghanistan when he was 17 and has been seeking asylum for 10 years
now. He is a desperate and frightened young man who probably now believes he is
being sent back to his death.
Where is the leadership on this issue? The Labor Party is as morally bankrupt
on this matter as its opponents. A more humane (and no doubt cost effective)
approach would be to combine community detention with providing these people
with opportunities to work thereby contributing to the Australian economy and
helping them raise funds to send back to their families who live dangerous
lives either in Afghanistan or in a refugee camp in Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Indonesia or Malaysia.
I visit detainees at NIDC in Darwin on a regular basis, many of whom are Harara
Afgans, and can tell you these are good people who only want a chance to make a
contribution towards society and the opportunity to help their families and
live a peaceful, safe life.
Your government seems completely unable to grasp that simple point or to do
anything meaningful towards realising such an outcome.
I wonder how you manage to sleep at night. I am pleading with you, on behalf of
Ismail and the many other Hazari people in Australian detention centres who are
now fearful they too may be sent back to their deaths, that you reverse this
decision and show compassion to this young man, allowing him the opportunity
via community detention to earn the right to a safe and better life in
Australia.
Yours sincerely
Tim Walsh
