SYDNEY (AFP) — A Chinese dissident who was forcibly deported
from Australia despite voicing fears of persecution if he was
returned to his native country has killed himself, a refugee
advocate claimed Monday.
The pro-democracy activist, known only as Mr Zhang, who had
complained of being beaten and tortured by authorities after being
sent back to China a year ago, has now committed suicide after
losing hope, according to Frances Milne.
"To find that he has now committed suicide to avoid further
persecution and torture is very, very disappointing and upsetting,"
said Milne, who worked on Zhang's case and kept in touch with him
after he was deported.
"If there is any decency in our government then having a policy
of giving protection to people that we've wrongly determined not to
be refugees is absolutely crucial. They must do it," she told the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
The New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties said Zhang's
deportation was in breach of Australia's obligations under the
convention against torture.
"He immediately faced torture on his return to China and
evidence of that was presented to the Australian government," the
council's secretary, Stephen Blanks, told ABC radio.
"We have been pleading with the Australian government to bring
him back and there has just been inaction."
Immigration Minister Chris Evans said he was unaware of the case
but would seek more information on the fate of Zhang, who spent
almost a decade arguing his case for asylum on the grounds that his
links to pro-democracy groups put him in danger in China.
"The immigration system relies on us being able to remove people
who are not here legally if that's warranted," he told the ABC.
"Clearly when we do that, it's under international law and on
the understanding that they won't suffer persecution on their
return.
"Any suggestion that someone has suffered persecution would be
something that will be looked at quite seriously," Evans said.
Zhang's story sounded "quite tragic", he said.
The centre-left Australian government, which came to power in
November, has scrapped some of the tough immigration practices of
the previous conservative administration after a series of scandals
over the treatment of migrants.