This makes me ashamed to be Australian. Under the convention of the refugee it is NOT illegal to enter Australia by boat, pogo stick or any other means to seek asylum. Vulnerable asylum seekers are being presented with the worst of two evils, either return to the horrors from which you fled or suffer in the camps of cruelty. Article 31 of the Refugee Convention prohibits states parties from imposing penalties on refugees who, when coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened, enter or are present in their territory without authorisation, provided they present themselves without delay to the authorities and can show good cause for their illegal entry or presence. This Article recognises that refugees have a lawful right to enter a country for the purposes of seeking asylum, regardless of how they arrive or whether they hold valid travel or identity documents. As such, what otherwise be considered illegal actions (eg. entering a country without a visa) should not be treated as such if a person is seeking asylum. This means that it is incorrect to refer to asylum seekers who arrive without authorisation as “illegal”, as they in fact have a lawful right to do so if they are seeking asylum. Article 31 also prohibits states parties from restricting the freedom of movement of refugees who arrive without authorisation, with the exception of restrictions necessary for regularising their status. Furthermore, such restrictions should be applied only until their status in the country is regularised or they obtain admission into another country. Read more: smh.au/federal-politics/political-news/immigration-minister-scott-morrison-tells-asylum-seekers-to-go-home-in-orientation-video-20140626-3avy0.html#ixzz35jVFVyGy
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 08:47:04 +0000
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