Responding to the Nauru Government and Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s claim that the refugees on Nauru had “fabricated” their claims, Anna Neistat, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, said:
“Instead of smearing vulnerable refugees, the Nauru and Australian governments should be investigating human rights violations and putting an end to them. The leaked reports conclusively show who was fabricating their claims – and it wasn’t the refugees.
“Having tried so hard to keep the appalling abuse of refugees on Nauru secret, brazen denial is the natural next step for the authorities. But the evidence is incontrovertible, and Australia is going to have to end this shameful chapter of its history and resettle these refugees.”
Australia is going to have to end this shameful chapter of its history and resettle these refugees
Anna Neistat, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research
Background
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch recently published a rare investigation into a deliberate pattern of appalling abuses against refugees and asylum seekers on the remote Pacific island.