Monday, November 03, 2008



John Howard claims another victim

Mohammed Hussain was an Afghan refugee. Having fled Afghanistan to escape being murdered by the Taliban, he was dumped on Nauru by the Australian government. Australian immigration officials didn't believe Hussain had a well-founded fear of persecution (the criteria for refugee status under the Refugee Convention) and so they deported him. They made a mistake; last month, Hussain was murdered:

An Afghan asylum seeker rejected by Australia under the Howard government was tortured and beheaded by kidnappers less than four weeks ago in a province south of Kabul.

The man, Mohammed Hussain, was thrown down a well by gunmen, believed to be the Taliban. Then in front of onlookers including members of his family, the killers threw a hand grenade down the well and he was decapitated.

And so John Howard claims another victim. While the killers were Taliban, they would not have had the opportunity if Australia had lived up to its obligations under the Refugee Convention. Instead, they deported people for political gain. And as a result, they have blood on their hands.