№00268

Reza Barati

24-year-old Iranian refugee Reza Barati was killed during riots at the Australian Refugee Detention Center on Manus Island (Papua New Guinea) on February 17, 2014.

Barati arrived in Australia on 24 July 2013, a few days after the Australian government announced its decision to send asylum seekers to detention centers in the Pacific Islands.

Experts found that Barati’s cause of death was cardiac arrest due to a severe head injury. In 2016, two employees of a migrant detention center were convicted of killing Barati. It is reported that one of them hit Barati on the head with timber spiked with nails, and the second one dropped a rock on his head.

In July 2021, Barati’s parents filed a lawsuit against the federal government and security company G4S Australia, alleging their negligence caused their son’s murder. They believe that if there were no riots in the detention center, their son would still be alive. The prisoners reportedly protested poor conditions of detention, as they were deprived of water and electricity. Barati did not participate in the riots.

СМИ

MASS MEDIA ABOUT THE CASE:

“We won’t recover from our loss. I do not want the human rights of my child to be ignored or forgotten by the world,” Torab Berati said. “I want the international community to protect the rights of my son. I want justice for my son. I don’t want his death to be insignificant.”
The Sydney Morning Herald

Head of Maurice Blackburn social justice practice, Jennifer Kanis, said “Reza Berati’s death should never have happened. The Australian government and the security operator G4S failed in their duty of care to the people in offshore detention. It was their job to make sure staff were properly trained and the centre was properly equipped to deal with any outbreaks of violence.”
The Guardian

FILES

CASE STATUS:

The initiative group has requested the clarification from Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison, Attorney-General of Australia Michaelia Cash and Minister for Home Affairs of Australia Karen Andrews. The initiative group believes it is important to fight against violence in detention facilities and, if necessary, will provide legal and financial assistance to the family of the victim.