[refugee-rights] UN experts voice concern over detention conditions in Australia

UN EXPERTS VOICE CONCERN OVER DETENTION CONDITIONS IN AUSTRALIA
New York, Jun  6 2002  2:00PM

United Nations human rights experts today voiced concern over conditions in
Australia's camps for asylum seekers.

At a press conference today, Justice Louis Joinet, the head of the UN
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which is visiting Australia at the
Government's invitation, highlighted concerns about the confinement of
children, the disabled and the elderly.

The most delicate issue was the "collective depression syndrome," he said.
"We believe that the syndrome may be attributable to the fact that
detainees live day in, day out with an agonizing uncertainty."

The UN Working Group's visit, which was mandated by the Geneva-based UN
Commission on Human Rights, included stops at five detention centres
throughout Australia. In addition to talking to government officials and
representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the members
interviewed several hundreds detainees.

The Group will present its final report on the Australia visit to the
Commission's next session, which opens in March in Geneva. It has conducted
previous fact-finding trip to Romania, the United Kingdom, Bhutan, China,
Indonesia, Nepal, Peru and Viet Nam.