Iranian asylum seeker in Australian detention centre is convicted of attempted suicide

Australian refugee advocates and opposition politicians on Saturday condemned the conviction of an Iranian asylum seeker on charges of attempted suicide, a criminal offence in Nauru where he is being held in an Australian-run detention centre.

Under Australia’s tough immigration policy, asylum seekers attempting to reach the country by boat are intercepted and sent to camps on the South Pacific island nation of Nauru, about 3,000km northeast of Australia, or on Manus island in Papua New Guinea to the north.

Human rights groups, including the United Nations Refugee Agency, have criticised the harsh conditions at the detention centres, which have sparked riots and self-harm protests.

The Iranian man, who has an eight-year-old daughter in the detention centre, pleaded guilty to the offence of attempted suicide on Friday and was given a 12 month suspended sentence, according to a Nauru government statement.

The Nauru government said prosecutors wanted to “deter other would-be offenders who resort to self-harm to avoid lawful actions against them or to get what they want”.

“We are concerned that this method of protest is being used and want to stamp out this practice,” it said.

Australia’s Greens opposition party has been a long-time critic of Australia’s offshore detention policy.