Iranian asylum seeker who set himself on fire in Nauru camp dies
An Iranian refugee who set himself on fire to protest conditions at a refugee camp on the island of Nauru has died from the severity of his injuries.
According to reports, the 23-year-old refugee, named "Omid," set himself on fire while a UNHCR delegation was visiting the camp.
It is said that he was in this camp for 3 years.
According to the camp residents, the Iranian man said that he intended to show “how tired and exhausted we are.”
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.
In order to reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving by boat on the country's shores, the Australian government has in recent years sent them to camps outside the country, including Naturo Island and Papua New Guinea, until their asylum applications are processed.
The Iranian refugee's self-immolation came as the Papua New Guinea government announced it would close a refugee camp established in the country under an agreement with Australia. The Papua New Guinea High Court has ruled that depriving individuals, even foreign citizens who have not been tried or convicted in the country, is unconstitutional.
The Australian government's move to transfer refugees to camps outside the country has been criticized by human rights advocates inside and outside Australia, but the country's current government insists on continuing this policy.
In response to the self-immolation of an Iranian asylum seeker, Australia's immigration minister said that he would be returned to the camp after treatment.
