Weekly media wrap - 25 April 2020

A refugee in Australian immigration detention filed a claim in the High Court arguing that the Department of Home Affairs is breaching its duty of care to him by failing to provide conditions that allow him to protect himself from COVID-19. The refugee, who suffers from a number of serious illnesses, was transferred from Manus Island to Australia in 2019 and is seeking release into the community to protect him from infection. The Guardian suggested this test case is likely to be the first of many, with around 1400 people in detention of alternative places of detention in Australia.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnball’s book, A Bigger Picture, details the US-Australia resettlement deal. According to the book, President Trump described refugees on Manus Island as ‘2000 of the worst terrorists in the world.’

Indonesia’s representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission (AICHR), Yuyun Wahyuningrum, expressed concern about Malaysia’s pushback of a boat carrying Rohingya refugees because of COVID-19 fears earlier this month.

UNHCR warned that border closures in response to the COVID-19 crisis place rules of refugee and human rights law are at risk. According to the UN refugee agency, ’167 countries have so far fully or partially closed their borders to contain the spread of the virus. At least 57 states are making no exception for people seeking asylum.‘

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