Iranian refugee dies after self-immolation protest on Nauru
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 29 April 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iranian refugee dies after self-immolation protest on Nauru, 29 April 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/576900869.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 29, 2016
An Iranian refugee who set himself on fire at Australia's immigration detention camp on the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru has died of his injuries.
The 23-year-old man set himself alight on April 27 to protest Australia's strict policies on asylum seekers.
Australia's immigration department said he died in an Australian hospital on April 29 after being airlifted there for treatment.
Nauru's government says the detained Iranian refugee's self-immolation was a protest intended to coincide with a visit to the island by representatives of the United Nations' refugee agency.
Australia refuses to accept asylum seekers who try to reach its shores by boat.
It pays Nauru and Papua New Guinea to hold them in detention camps instead.
But Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced on April 27 that its refugee detention center would be closed after the supreme court in his country ruled the facility was illegal.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
