2011-06-08 Australia Refugees set to sue Australia for millions for psychologica

[Ink Visitor]

Refugees set to sue Australia for millions for psychological damage

AUSTRALIAN taxpayers are facing multi-million dollar compensation payouts to current and former asylum seekers who claim they suffered trauma and psychological damage in detention.
Legal and medical sources told The Daily Telegraph scores of detainees were preparing claims against the Australian Government and detention centre operators Serco and G4S.

Revelations of the damages claims come at the worst possible time for the Federal Government, with tension in detention centres rising through overcrowding as the number of detainees hits a record high.

Among those making claims are Iranian Mehrnoosh Yousefi and her adult son, who have both been granted refugee status.

Mrs Yousefi's husband, former Iranian oil industry engineer Parviz Yousefi, achieved notoriety when he sewed his lips together and attempted suicide several times while in detention at Woomera between 2001 and 2004.

In 2008 Mr Yousefi was reportedly awarded a record damages payout of more than $800,000 for psychological damage suffered in detention.

Dr Zachary Steel, senior lecturer in psychiatry at the University of NSW, said that he had been told of multiple pending lawsuits.

"There are a number of cases going through at the moment," he said.

He also had "heard discussions of class actions".Dr Steel said the basis for most of the lawsuits was psychiatric harm caused by trauma experienced in detention, including riots, self-harm and, in some cases, allegations of mistreatment by inmates and centre operators.

Koko juttu : http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/refugees-set-to-sue-australia-for-millions-for-psychological-damage/story-e6frf7jx-1226069900804

[Tommi Korhonen]

Ei se ole hullu joka pyytää. ...vaikka psykologisista vaurioista puhuvatkin.

Eivätkä "detention centers" (pakolaiskeskukset?) ole laillisia laitoksia? Vai onko niiden toiminnassa jotain viranomaisvikaa? Vai onko noita turvapaikanhakijoita pidätetty muuten laittomasti? Eikös tällaisten laittomia pidätyksiä varten ole ihan omat korvauspykälät? Ainakin meillä on Ulvilan tapauksesta päätellen.