UN halts anti-torture mission to Australia after inspectors barred from jails
- The ‘embarrassing debacle’ was the result of a funding dispute, despite Australia having had five years to prepare for the visit
- Australia’s prisons, youth detention centres and immigration compounds have been plagued by persistent allegations of human rights abuses
Tasked with touring facilities under a voluntary agreement to prevent cruelty to detainees, the inspectors said they made the “drastic” decision after they were refused entry at “several” jails and detention facilities.
Lead inspector Aisha Muhammad, a Supreme Court judge in the Maldives, said Australia was in “clear breach” of its international obligations. “Despite our numerous efforts to explain our preventative mandate, this was clearly not understood,” she said.
Only three other countries – Rwanda, Azerbaijan and Ukraine – have had anti-torture inspectors suspend or postpone missions.
Australia ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) in 2017, committing to reforms safeguarding detainees and making facilities subject to inspection.
Former prison inspector Steven Caruana coordinated the domestic body responsible for tracking Australia’s implementation of the convention.