Our Stories

AJL20 is a Syrian citizen, who emigrated to Australia in 1996 on a child visa, but had his visa cancelled on "character grounds" in 2014. Due to the current structure of the Migration Act, he remains in detention with his only avenue being the Immigration Minister's power of discretion to make a determination in his case. Human Rights For All took AJL20's case to the High Court on a writ of Habeas Corpus in relation to the lawfulness of his indefinite detention. Despite the judge in the Federal Court finding for him, AJL20 was returned to detention in 2021, where he remains. Human Rights For All needs to keep helping clients like AJL20 - can you help?

"Ali" fled to Australia to escape persecution for being in love. Ali and his boyfriend were discovered together, beaten and threatened with death. On arriving in Australia, Ali was detained. Being locked inside a detention centre, he did not feel safe enough to tell Australian authorities the real reason he fled. Ali suffered through years of detention and forced transportations. Eventually, Ali told the authorities he was homosexual. Because he had told a different story on arrival in Australia, he was not believed. Ali was finally released at the end of 2021, after a decade in Australian immigration detention. If you would like to support our work for people like Ali and the LGBTIQA+ community, please get involved

"Devi" was born legally blind. Following a brutal civil war, Devi suffered an acquired brain injury and severe mental health problems. Devi managed to make it to Australia, where he was detained. He was given an Adverse Security Assessment by ASIO, which was eventually downgraded. Devi's physical and mental disabilities meant he found detention particularly harmful, and he spent significant amounts of time in hospital. Devi spent 10 years in detention before HR4A helped secure his release. If you would like to support our work for people like Devi and those living with disability, please get involved

After arriving in Australia by boat in 2013 as a teenager, “Yousef”, a stateless Iranian- born man, has been detained ever since. As an Iranian Kurd, his hometown has experienced civil war since 1980, and he is regarded as a stateless person, as Iran does not recognise his homeland or him as an Iranian citizen. During the last decade in detention, Yousef’s diagnosis of PTSD has presented at times in attempted suicide and volatile behaviour. He was also on 24/7 security watch in the past and has been frustrated at his inability to access education. The Australian government has provided no justification for Yousef’s indefinite detention, and has not identified a timeline for his case review. If you would like to support our work for people like Yousef and other stateless persons, please get involved.

In 2018, Huyen, a Vietnamese Catholic who sought asylum in Australia due to persecution for her religious beliefs, gave birth to her daughter, Isabella. At the time, Huyen was in detention. Huyen was detained when she was pregnant, after going into hiding years earlier when other Vietnamese nationals were deported. When the Department of Home Affair attempted to deport her, Huyen was seven months pregnant and unwell with gestational diabetes. Huyen was removed from the flight minutes before its departure and was returned to detention. Days before giving birth, Huyen signed a form agreeing to her child remaining with her in detention after birth as a “guest”. Isabella was born in March 2018, and has remained with her mother ever since, as her father would be unable to care for her without jeopardising his employment, and therefore, visa conditions and ability to stay in Australia. As the child of two non-citizens, Isabella is regarded as stateless by the Australian Government. In the two years since her birth, the health of both Huyen and Isabella deteriorated significantly. We called ambulances several times due to concerns for Isabella’s health. Isabella and Huyen were released in 2020, but their status remains uncertain. If you would like to support our work for people like Huyen and Isabella and other families impacted by immigration detention in Australia, please get involved

M47 has no knowledge of the continent he was born on, but understands that he was born at the end of the 1980s, to a mother of Western Saharan origin, whom he believes died when he was aged 6. He has no knowledge of his father or his origins, and does not even know his birth name. From a refugee camp in Western Sahara, it is believed he moved to a Spanish orphanage at age 6, then to Belgium around age 8, where he became a house slave for several years before escaping. M47 was then the victim of human trafficking and was targeted and controlled by street gangs. Moving between various countries in Europe as he grew up, he fled Norway after his life was threatened by gang leaders, and arrived in Melbourne in 2010, where he was immediately detained. He has remained in detention in Australia ever since. As a person with no identifiable country of origin, the Australian Government cannot deport him, and without a visa, M47 is stuck in detention. Many years of battling through the Australian legal system have broken him. A ministerial decision could set him free. If you would like to support our work for people like M47 and other stateless persons, please get involved.