Sarah Stephen
Iraqi refugees on temporary and permanent protection visas are being asked to go to the immigration department (DIMIA) to discuss their visas, a refugee advocate, who asked not to be named, told Green Left Weekly.
"It's all very vague; they're given no detail. Questions asked by the refugees as to what is involved produce a very polite response such as, 'Can't discuss over the phone; not a serious matter'.
"On arrival, the interviewee is shown into a room where two ASIO officers await, and an interrogation begins. It's all very polite, but at no point is the interviewee advised about their rights — the right to a lawyer, the ability to refuse [to answer]. Neither are they told that there is a tape recorder hidden under the table."
According to the refugee advocate, ASIO agents have been "coming down from Canberra and block-booking refugees for interviews". It's hard to work out why Iraqi refugees have been singled out, and why the interrogations are happening now. Most refugees have already been interviewed while in detention and asked the same questions.
The refugee advocate explained that most of the Iraqis being interrogated haven't lived in Iraq for 10 or 11 years. Before arriving in Australia, they had been refugees in Iran and therefore the likelihood that they might have information which would be of interest to ASIO would be slim.
The refugee advocate said that the refugees were very frightened about being called in for an interview, some of which have taken up to four-and-a-half hours. The refugees are being asked in detail about what caused them to flee. Most are Shiites, many of whom were tortured by Baathists. Some have been hung from ceilings and forced on to nail beds.
A psychiatrist the refugee advocate spoke to said research indicates that when someone who has suffered both long-term detention and physical torture is placed in a threatening situation, their cortisol levels rise limiting their capacity to remember detail.
"They're also asking these Iraqis where they worship, which mosques they attended. If you asked a Protestant or a Catholic that question, they would find it deeply intrusive. After taking them back to the most frightening period in their lives, the ASIO officers then say 'Thank-you', and dump them on the street."
It seemed at first that ASIO might be focusing its campaign of intimidation on Iraqi refugees alone. However, the news that two Iranians were called in for interviews during the week of September 19 indicates that this is a more generalised campaign of harassment.
From Green Left Weekly, September 28, 2005.
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