10 February 2021

A refugee detained by the Australian Government is pleading for his and other refugee families to be temporarily released into the community after almost a year of confinement in a Darwin hotel room.

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But Mr Golmohammadian said the treatment he and other refugees had received had been inadequate — a claim backed by a group of predominantly Darwin-based medical professionals who yesterday wrote to the federal Home Affairs Minister calling for the refugees' immediate release.

The letter, now signed by 51 medical professionals, said many of the refugees had received limited care and that it had not addressed their ongoing conditions.

"Additionally, there are multiple reports of inadequate living conditions and sanitation that contribute to deteriorating health," the letter read.

The Federal Government has been accused of moving slowly on refugees' medical treatment, and there are 15 refugees indefinitely detained by the Australian Government.

However, a spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs said the refugees were "encouraged to finalise their medical treatment so they can continue on their resettlement pathway".

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Refugee advocates have labelled the Australian Government's treatment of the 15 Darwin refugees as a "total breach of international law".

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