Iranian Refugee Who Self-Immolated in Nauru Camp Dies

An Iranian refugee who set himself on fire in protest of conditions at a refugee camp on the island of Nauru has died from the severity of his injuries.

According to reports received, the 23-year-old refugee named “Omid” set himself ablaze during a visit by a delegation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to the camp.

It is reported that he had been in this camp for 3 years.

According to camp residents, the Iranian man had said that with this action he intended to demonstrate “how exhausted we are and how much we have lost our strength.”

Nauru is a small island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with an area of 21 square kilometers and a population of just over 9,000 people.

The Australian government, in order to reduce the number of refugees arriving by boat on its shores, has over the past years sent them to camps outside Australian territory, including the island of Nauru and the country of Papua New Guinea, pending processing of their refugee applications.

The self-immolation of the Iranian refugee occurred at a time when the government of Papua New Guinea had also announced it would close the refugee camp that had been established in the country under an agreement with Australia. The Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea ruled that detention of individuals, even foreign nationals who have not been tried and convicted in the country, is unconstitutional.

The Australian government’s policy of transferring refugees to camps outside the country has faced criticism from human rights advocates both within and outside Australia, but the current government of the country is committed to continuing this policy.

In response to the Iranian refugee’s self-immolation, Australia’s immigration minister said he would be returned to the camp after treatment.