‘They’ve been broken by this process’: Two refugees detained in Darwin for over a year to be freed to settle in US as seven remain

Two of the refugees who have been detained in a facility at the Darwin Airport for over a year are being released to settle in the United States.

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TWO of the refugees who have been detained in a facility at the Darwin Airport for over a year are being released to settle in the United States, as calls are made for the remaining seven to be allowed to wait for the outcome of their own visa applications in the community.

Mojtaba and Afsaneh Ghodsi, originally from Iran, were detained on Nauru for several years after being declared legitimate refugees.

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They were then transported to Darwin under the Federal Government’s Medevac laws and have been detained in a facility behind the Darwin Airport Mercure Hotel for almost 15 months.

Refugee Co-ordinator for Amnesty International Graham Thom said the couple will be flying to the US in around a week after being granted resettlement visas under a deal brokered between former prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and former US President Barack Obama.

However, he said the pair and mentally and physically traumatised from the experience of being locked up.

The nine refugees detained at the Federal Detention Facility at Darwin Airport. Photograph: Che Chorley

“Why wouldn’t they be allowed to be in the community? They could have been living with their family and happily just getting on with their lives while they waited for this visa to finally eventuate,’ Mr Thom said.

“They could have gone there happy well-adjusted instead of traumatised.

“They’ve really been broken by this process.”

Federal Member for Solomon Luke Gosling called on the Federal Government to release the remaining seven refugees into the community while they also await the outcome of their visa applications.

“There’s now seven people left in detention in Darwin, all genuine refugees awaiting resettlement in other countries,” Mr Gosling said.

“There’s no reason why the Coalition Federal Government couldn’t release them into the community today, which would save taxpayers a huge amount of money and would reduce the harm and damage already done to these people’s mental health.”

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