Weekly media wrap - 2 May 2016

Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court ruled the detention of 850 asylum seekers on Manus Island unconstitutional, however the PNG government will not shut down the detention centre immediately. Following the decision, lawyer Ben Lomai outlined his intention to ask for compensation from the Australian and Papua New Guinea governments on behalf of men illegally detained.

Immigration minister Peter Dutton said the men are PNG’s responsibility and that Australia will help resolve the issue, suggesting an open centre arrangement or transfer to Nauru. Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull restated the Government’s position that the approximately 900 men there will not be resettled in Australia. New Zealand Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse reiterated New Zealand’s offer to take 150 refugees from offshore detention centres.

Omid, an Iranian refugee on Nauru self-immolated in protest in front of visiting United Nations representatives. He suffered third degree burns to 80% of his body, was transferred to Brisbane and later passed away.

Four Labor MPs called for the asylum seekers on Manus Island to be processed and settled in Australia. Labor’s policy to support offshore processing was agreed upon at the party’s annual conference in 2015.

Young Liberty for Law Reform released a report recommending that section 6 of the Australian Border Force Act – the secrecy provisions – be repealed. The report included testimony from detention centre workers whose careers and personal lives had been damaged through speaking out about the centres’ conditions. 

Weekly media wrap - 25 April 2016

In Papua New Guinea, a judge sentenced two men to five years in prison for the murder of Iranian asylum seeker Reza Barati. The judge said that the men received short sentences because there were others involved in Barati’s murder, who are yet to be charged.

Also in Papua New Guinea, 45 asylum seekers on Manus Island were told they are not entitled to refugee status, despite never applying for asylum. Elsewhere, authorities arrested an Iraqi refugee who was attempting to return to the detention centre. The man reportedly said he felt unsafe after being resettled in the community.

The Sri Lankan Navy intercepted an asylum seeker boat bound for Australia on Tuesday and returned the six adults and three children on board.

An asylum seeker boat sunk in the Mediterranean. Survivors reported that up to 500 drowned in the incident. The United Nations said that this would constitute the biggest loss of life on the Mediterranean in the past year.

Weekly media wrap - 18 April 2016

Nearly 29,000 asylum seekers remain on bridging visas in Australia waiting for a decision on their refugee status. The vast majority have been in the country since 2012 and 2013, when the number of asylum seekers arriving by boat peaked. Some do not have the right to work.  

In Nauru, Iranian refugee Sam Nemati, was arrested, charged and convicted for attempted suicide. Prosecutors sought jail time of between one and two months to ‘deter other would-be offenders who resort to self-harm to avoid lawful actions against them or to get what they want’. Mr Nemati was given a 12-month suspended sentence.

In Europe, Macedonian Police fired rubber bullets and used teargas on protesting crowds of asylum seekers on the Greek side of the Macedonia-Greek border, injuring dozens of people. Both the Greek government and UNHCR condemned the action as damaging to Europe’s image. Polish EU minister Konrad Szymanski announced Poland would be unable to take in the 7,000 asylum seekers it had promised to accept in September 2015. 

Weekly media wrap - 10 April 2016

Immigration minister Peter Dutton said that the government had honoured its pledge “in spirit and in deed” to get all asylum seeker children out of immigration detention. The statement came as reports emerged that two children remain in immigration detention. Mr Dutton also vowed that all asylum seeker children who had been released would be sent to Nauru, once they and their families no longer needed medical support.

The High Court granted an urgent injunction to prevent an abortion being carried out on an asylum seeker who had been transferred to Papua New Guinea. Justice Patrick Keane, who presided over the hearing, said that the urgency of the matter and the gravity of the consequences for the plaintiff were sufficient to warrant the granting of the injunction.

On Nauru, two asylum seekers received medical treatment after police were summoned to respond to a protest at the Nauru regional processing centre. Footage, purportedly of the protest, emerged showing the confrontation between detainees and police. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection stated that seven service provider staff were injured while attempting to restore order. The asylum seekers are protesting against the Australia government’s refusal to allow them to apply for protection visas in Australia.

The Papua New Guinea government announced that it had finished its assessment of the claims to refugee status of the 850 men at the Manus Island detention centre. About 400 of the men were found to be refugees.

Social Services Minister Christian Porter announced that 180 refugees had been resettled as part of the government’s commitment to accept 12,000 refugees displaced by the conflict in Syria.

The first people were returned to Turkey under a recently implemented agreement between the European Union and Turkey. Under the agreement, all ‘irregular migrants’ arriving in Greece from Turkey face being sent back, and for every person sent back, a Syrian refugee will be resettled from Turkey to the EU. Refugees in on the Greek islands of Lesbos and Chios reacted angrily to the first deportations with some saying they would rather take their own lives than return to Turkey. In a statement, the UNHCR indicated that it did not oppose the agreement but that greater safeguards were needed to process asylum seekers in Greece.

Weekly media wrap - 5 April 2016

Immigration minister Peter Dutton announced that there are no longer any children in immigration detention in Australia. Around 65 children remain on Nauru. According to Guardian Australia the government has reclassified sections of detentions centres to support this claim. The number of children in detention peaked in 2013 at over 2000.

At least 196 of the 267 refugees at the centre of the ‘Let Them Stay’ campaign are now in community detention, according to advocates. Refugees that remain in community detention may still be transferred to offshore detention, but must be given at least 72 hours’ notice.

‘The Journey’, a film commissioned by the Australian government depicting asylum seekers making a dangerous journey across the Indian Ocean to Australia, screened in Afghanistan this week. Put Out Pictures, the film’s production company state the aim of the film is “to educate and inform audiences in source countries about the futility of investing in people smugglers, the perils of the trip, and the hardline policies that await them if they do reach Australian waters”.

UNHCR’s Andrew Harper criticised Australia’s selection of Syrian asylum seekers. ABC program 7.30 revealed that the applications of 1,400 Syrian refugees referred to Australia by the UN have not had their cases processed. Only after their application has been rejected are they able to be referred to another country. Minister Peter Dutton told UNHCR that the main delay in processing was due to rigorous background checks, especially important given the number of fake Syrian passports currently circulating in Europe.

At a UNHCR meeting in Geneva, member states committed to modest increases in the number of refugees they are prepared to resettle, bringing the total to 185,000 worldwide. Minister Dutton announced Australia would contribute a further $8.5m to the UNHCR.

Weekly media wrap - 29 March 2016

The Australian government signed on to a regional agreement at the Bali Process Ministerial Conference, strengthening its commitment to blocking people smuggling in the Asia-Pacific region. The agreement, which is non-binding, recommends member nations consider alternatives to the detention of vulnerable people and allow longer stays in transit countries.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was questioned over Australia’s commitment to helping refugees in the region. Following the conference, the Immigration Department launched a telemovie aimed at deterring potential asylum seekers in the region. Described as a “key part” of the department’s anti-people smuggling strategy, the film cost taxpayers $6 million.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull linked the refugee crisis to this week’s terror attacks in Belgium, warning that “porous borders” were allowing terrorists into Europe. Belgium’s Ambassador to Australia, Jean-Luc Bodson, refuted the assertion and said it was dangerous to connect migration with terrorism.

Protests against offshore processing continued in capital cities around the country, with thousands of attendees marching at Welcome Refugee rallies on Palm Sunday. Organisers said more than 50,000 people participated across Australia. Speakers at the events, including Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Executive Director of the Refugee Immigration and Legal Centre David Manne, said that public sentiment on refugees had changed and more compassionate treatment was wanted.

The rallies occurred as a group of asylum seekers in Nauru also launched peaceful protests, calling for better conditions at the centre. The Guardian quoted an asylum seeker advocate who said the group became upset after detention centre management restricted their Iranian new year celebrations. The protests continued for four days, with Good Friday marking 1000 days in detention for some asylum seekers.

The UNHCR suspended its activities in Greece, with a spokesperson stating the agency would not collude in the “unfair and inhumane” system precipitated by last week’s EU-Turkey deal. Medecins Sans Frontiers and Save the Children also stopped their involvement with centres on the Greek islands.

Human Rights Watch labelled the situation in Greece a humanitarian crisis and criticised the official response. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein raised concerns about the legality of the deal, as boats continued to arrive and refugees set themselves on fire in protest. Pope Francis joined international appeals for compassion during his traditional Good Friday address after washing the feet of refugees in a centre outside of Rome.

The European Commission proposed to reduce aid to Afghanistan under a secret plan, unless the government agreed to repatriate more than 80,000 Afghans denied refugee status in the region. Suggested incentives of the deal included exchanging failed asylum seekers for Afghan students at European universities.

Weekly media wrap - 21 March 2016

The Australian Parliamentary Budget Office found the government would save 2.9 billion dollars over four years if it adopted the Greens’ policy to shut down detention centres and bring asylum seekers to the mainland for processing in the community. It warned, however, that the policy change could alter numbers of asylum seekers arriving by boat, and therefore the potential savings.

Indonesian foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, expressed the hope that Australia and other countries would assist in resettling refugees in Indonesia. There are currently around 14,000 asylum seekers and refugees in transit in the country, but Indonesia says it lacks the capacity to provide long-term solutions. The statement came in the leadup to this week’s Bali Process Ministerial Conference, a regional forum co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia.

In a visit to Australia, Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to negotiate a deal which would see Iranian asylum seekers whose refugee claims are rejected repatriated to Iran. The opposition insisted that safeguards be in place to ensure the safety of those returned.

Asylum seekers arriving in Greece will be sent back to Turkey in a deal agreed upon by EU leaders. In return for taking refugees, Turkey can expect ‘reenergised’ talks on its EU membership and 3 billion euros to aid resettlement. UNHCR stated the deal breaches the rights of asylum seekers under European and international law.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Flippo Grandi announced he will chair a meeting on March 30 to ask the international community to take 10 per cent of all Syrian Refugees. He stated that this did not require full resettlement for the 400,000 refugees, but that some countries could offer temporary jobs, scholarships or humanitarian visas to ease the pressure on neighbouring countries. Four million Syrians have fled the country since the civil war began five years ago.

Weekly media wrap - 14 March 2016

Australian authorities intercepted a boat carrying six Bangladeshis and two alleged people smugglers  and transferred the passengers to an Indonesian fishing vessel for their return to that country. Indonesia’s foreign ministry said it does not support for Australia’s policy on turning back boats, and indicated a potential straining of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Recently released documents show that between December 2014 and January 2014, Australian maritime patrols unintentionally entered Indonesian territorial waters six times when turning back 13 boats. Australia later apologies for the incursions into Indonesian sovereign waters.

Iranian foreign affairs minister, Dr Mohammad Javad Zarif, is visiting Australia next week to discuss a possible deal for Iranian asylum seekers in Australia. Negotiations are likely to focus on allowing forcible removal of Iranians who are found not to be refugees, in exchange for guarantees that this group would not face persecution or punishment. Iranian asylum seekers represent a significant proportion of the ‘legacy caseload’ of 29,000 asylum seekers in Australia.

The office of the immigration minister, Peter Dutton, confirmed that two of the five refugees who were transferred to Cambodia have returned to their home country. The Australian Government has committed to maintaining the $55 million cost of the deal with Cambodia, regardless of the number of refugees that are resettled, and has spent an additional $2 million in resettlement costs under this agreement.  

In Australia, churches held ‘sanctuary training’ with instructions on peaceful resistance towards authorities who forcibly remove asylum seekers, as part of the #LetThemStay campaign. Senior staff of Australia’s largest asylum seeker service, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, have left the organisation, with claims of a toxic work environment and bullying, and concerns for the safety and wellbeing of staff.

A recent University of Melbourne study showed that amongst their focus groups, the most important driver of negative attitudes towards asylum seekers was ‘religious prejudice’ and concern for the  ‘Islamisation’ of Australia. The research concluded that more constructive public debate on issues related to asylum seekers was needed, to build knowledge and correct misconceptions.

At an emergency summit in Brussels, Turkey offered to take back all asylum seekers who cross into Europe through their soil as well as those intercepted in its territorial waters, effectively slowing the entrance of asylum seekers into Europe. European Union leaders have welcomed this proposal, and recognised this as a potential breakthrough in Europe’s refugee crisis. The UNHCR has distanced itself from the proposal. Meanwhile, the route used by asylum seekers to move from Greece to northern Europe has been blocked after Balkan countries Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia each closed their borders.

Weekly media wrap - 7 March 2016

Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill called Manus Island detention centre a ‘problem’ that has done damage to his country’s international reputation. According to Mr O’Neill, the centre should eventually be shut down. Mr O’Neill added that the PNG government does not have the resources to resettle the refugees already on Manus Island, leaving their future uncertain.

In Australia, immigration minister Peter Dutton refused to release a 70 year-old Iranian woman from immigration detention who has been held for three years. According to doctors, she is experiencing both physical and psychological problems. Under the Migration Act, Mr Dutton has discretionary powers to grant or deny Bridging Visas and his decision is not subject to judicial review.

The Greens introduced a bill to the Senate that would require the government to house families with children in the community rather than an immigration detention facility. The bill seeks to amend the Migration Act 1958 and would apply retrospectively.

The United Nations refugee agency warned of an imminent humanitarian crisis as refugees and migrants continue to gather on the Greek-Macedonian border. Balkan countries and Austria have capped daily refugee intakes, as crowded conditions in first ports of call, such as Greece, have led to shortages of food, water and sanitation. 

Weekly media wrap - 29 February 2016

The mother of asylum seeker baby Asha was accused of intentionally burning her baby in order to facilitate their transfer to Australia for medical treatment. Queensland Police confirmed that they had completed an investigation into the matter and dismissed the accusations. Meanwhile, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, said that while the family had been released into community detention for now, they would eventually be returned to Nauru.

In a first for asylum seekers detained on Nauru or Manus Island, two refugees who spent three years living on Nauru, including two years in detention, have been relocated to Canada to be reunited with their family.

Following a meeting last week between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his New Zealand counterpart, John Key, Peter Dutton this week rejected an offer from New Zealand to resettle 150 refugees now on Nauru, on the basis that it would provide an incentive to asylum seekers to travel to Australia by boat. Mr Dutton also confirmed that Australian border protection authorities recently turned an asylum seeker boat back to Sri Lanka.

Amnesty International released its annual report. Highlighting the ‘harsh conditions’ faced by millions of asylum seekers across the Asia-Pacific region, the report stated that Australia’s asylum seeker policies violated international law by ‘forcibly returning people to countries where they would face a real risk of serious violations’.

The UNHCR issued a statement saying that on average two children have drowned every day trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea since September 2015. The news comes as countries across Europe adopt more restrictive policies, including border closures.

Weekly media wrap - 23 February 2016

Asha, a 12 month-old asylum seeker, was released into community detention after doctors at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital refused to discharge her until a ‘suitable home environment’ was identified’. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said that once Asha and her family’s claims are finalised, they will be sent back to Nauru, their home country, or a third country.

At an Australian Medical Association forum in Sydney doctors proposed to boycott working in Australia’s immigration detention system and to defy legal restrictions on speaking about conditions.

Malcolm Turnbull met with New Zealand prime minister John Key but did not commit to reviving a deal negotiated by former prime minister Julia Gillard for New Zealand to accept 150 asylum seekers annually from Australian detention.

Peter Dutton defended Australia’s rate of resettlement  of Syrian refugees, emphasising that national security is the ‘first and foremost’ priority and that faster processing would increase risk to the public. Twenty-six Syrians have been processed in Australia, five months after the government announced a special intake of 12,000. Canada has resettled over 20,000 refugees in the same period.

Weekly media wrap - 15 February 2016

This week saw escalating ‘Let Them Stay’ protests, following the High Court’s decision allowing Australia to detain asylum seekers offshore. Six state and territory leaders offered to resettle the 267 asylum seekers affected by the decision, however, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has yet to respond to the political and community pressure. 

Doctors at a Brisbane hospital declined to discharge a baby in an effort to prevent her return to Nauru. One-year-old ‘Asha’ was treated for accidental burns injuries at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, where a spokesperson said she would be released only once ‘a suitable home environment is identified’. The case has attracted the backing of hundreds of protesters, who have camped outside the hospital in support of the doctors’ actions. 

The ABC apologised for confusing two cases of alleged child abuse on Nauru. ABC News Director Gaven Morris acknowledged the error in reporting the testimony of a paediatrician that a five-year-old was raped on the island and was being sent back to face his attacker. The paediatrician’s statement in fact referred to an older child, whom the paediatrician, Karen Zwi, maintains was raped. The five-year-old at the centre of the claims was allegedly sexually assaulted.

The immigration department confirmed paying Nauru $29m in visa fees to keep asylum seekers in detention. The cost of a visa for a single asylum seeker in Nauru has risen to $1,000 per month since the centre was reopened in 2012, in addition to the fees Australia pays to contractors running the facility.

The refugee crisis continues to escalate in Europe, with the Austrian government confirming it will reduce the number of asylum applications received in 2016, while Turkey has for the first time shut entry to Syrian refugees, claiming the country has reached its limit. The news comes as NATO entered the crisis for the first time, promising to deploy ships in the Aegean Sea to deter people smugglers. The move was criticised by some international aid groups.     

Weekly media wrap - 8 February 2016

In a majority decision, the High Court rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of Australia’s offshore processing system brought against by a Bangladeshi refugee. The decision upholds the government’s policy of returning 267 refugees to Nauru. Reporting pointed to changes to the Migration Act in June 2015 which undermined the challenge, and more recently, the Nauruan government’s decision to create an open centre.

In response to the court decision, a series of protests under the banner ‘Let Them Stay’ were held. Churches offered sanctuary to those who may be transferred offshore. Sanctuary is a common law principle yet to be tested under the Australian judicial system, which would provide protection against civil authorities. 

A medical team led by the Australian Human Rights Commission found that 95 per cent of children detained at Nauru are at risk of developing post traumatic stress disorder and recommended that children not be sent back to Nauru.

A government document prepared by the National Security Committee planning reforms of Australia’s immigration policy was leaked. The document showed plans to ‘create stronger controls over access to permanent residency and citizenship’.

The UNCHR estimated that 62,000 refugees crossed the Mediterranean in January 2016, sixteen times more than the 5,500 recorded in January 2015. Meanwhile, the EU called on Turkey to re-open its borders to Syrians fleeing fighting in Aleppo. It is estimated that 35,000 asylum seekers are currently trapped at the border.

Weekly media wrap - 1 February 2016

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) 2016 World Report was released this week. HRW reported that Australia’s failure to meet international standards for protecting asylum seekers is taking a ‘heavy human toll’ and damaging this country’s international reputation. The report also highlighted the secrecy around Australia’s immigration detention program.

Professor David Isaacs, a leading paediatrician, challenged Australia’s prime minister to prosecute him for speaking out under the Border Force Act about conditions in offshore detention centres. Professor Isaacs visited Nauru in December 2014.

The International Organization for Migration reported that more than 52,000 refugees and migrants crossed the eastern Mediterranean to reach Europe in January, more than 35 times the number of people who attempted the crossing in the same period in 2015.

The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei closed his exhibition in Copenhagen in protest to new Danish laws allowing authorities to seize assets and valuables from asylum seekers over a certain value and delays in family reunification. Meanwhile, Sweden has indicated an intention to expel up to 80,000 rejected asylum seekers who arrived in 2015.

Weekly media wrap - 27 January 2016

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said 72 children in mandatory detention on the mainland would be transferred to offshore detention.  A group of 930 academics wrote an open letter to the Australian government urging the immediate release of children from detention.

An investigation by Fairfax media revealed that the Maribyrnong Detention Centre in Melbourne has the highest rate of detainee restraint and use of force by staff. The Villawood detention centre recorded the second highest rate of use of force.

In Papua New Guinea, Manus Island residents met to discuss the lack of benefit arising from the island’s detention centre. A spokesperson stated that too little of the $420 million of Australian Government aid given to PNG for hosting the centre has flowed to the Manus Island community.

The Danish parliament passed laws that delay family reunification for three years for people fleeing indiscriminate violence, and allow police to seize assets of asylum seekers over a certain value. 

Weekly media wrap - 18 January 2016

The crew of an asylum seeker boat who were allegedly paid by an Australian official to return to Indonesia were jailed on people smuggling charges.  The six crew members were each sentenced to over five years in prison and ordered to pay fines between $50,000 and $70,000.  The sentencing followed an Indonesian police investigation which found that the Australian Navy had paid the crew $US32,000 to return the asylum seekers to Indonesia.  An Australian Senate inquiry, due to report in March, will assess the legality of payments made to the crew members.

An independent report found that Save the Children workers sacked on Nauru in 2014 are entitled to compensation from the Australian government.  The dismissals were found to be politically motivated and based on ‘no evidence or reliable information’.  Save the Children CEO Paul Ronalds welcomed the report and urged the Australian government to end the practice of mandatory detention of children.

Twenty-eight refugees living in Nauru wrote to New Zealand’s Prime Minister, John Key, requesting permanent resettlement.  Despite a deal negotiated between Australia and New Zealand in 2013, in which New Zealand agreed to accept 150 refugees per year from Australia’s offshore detention facilities, no resettlements have been granted.  New Zealand’s immigration minister, Michael Woodhouse, responded to the letter, stating that ‘it is for Australia to take up the offer to utilise the… 150 places’.  Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull argued that resettlement in New Zealand could ‘result in creating incentives for people smugglers to get back into business’. 

In Papua New Guinea, Benham Satah, the key witness in Reza Barati’s murder trial, requested to be transferred to a different compound at the Manus Island detention centre, where he has been detained for over two years.  Satah, who was offered protection before giving evidence against two local men accused of killing Barati, said he is being targeted by guards and fears for his life at the centre.  A public petition requesting that Satah “be brought immediately to Australia and settled in the community” drew more than 16,000 signatures.

The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) called for greater government investment in organisations supporting asylum seekers.  RCOA toured Australia gathering information about the challenges facing these support centres, and will make recommendations to the Australian Government in February.

Weekly media wrap - 11 January 2016

Nauru police launched an investigation into claims that a six year-old refugee was sexually assaulted. The father of the alleged victim, an Iranian refugee, said that the alleged perpetrator remains on Nauru and has not been taken into custody.

Documents obtained under freedom of information laws revealed that the 23 year-old asylum seeker known as Abyan, who was transferred from Nauru to Australia for an abortion, had not ruled out terminating her pregnancy before being sent back to Nauru, still pregnant. Abyan was flown back to Australia several weeks after her return to Nauru and remains in detention in Brisbane where she is receiving medical treatment.

In Papua New Guinea, the managers of the Manus Island detention centre were accused of flying an employee who allegedly robbed a local bar out of PNG to avoid the country's justice system.

In Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she wants to stem the flow of refugees into the European Union, while preserving freedom of movement. Mrs Merkel's statement comes as Sweden moved to drastically reduce its refugee intakes. Sweden has introduced a requirement that all arrivals from Denmark show photo ID. Meanwhile, Denmark has imposed ID checks on its southern border with Germany.

Turkish authorities found the bodies of 34 migrants on the Aegean coast after the migrants tried to cross to the Greek island of Lesbos.

Weekly media wrap - 3 January 2016

Cabinet papers from the early ‘90s were released by the National Archives. A cabinet paper written by former Labor Immigration Minister Gerry Hand foreshadowed many contemporary issues in Australian asylum and immigration policy. Hand argued that successful claims for protection by asylum seekers should not result in the automatic grant of permanent residence (a policy since implemented) and for the removal of the right to judicial review of visa decisions.

Refugee bodies are preparing for the arrival of 12,000 Syrian refugees to begin in early 2016. Refugee Council of Australia communications director Tim O’Conner said that the RCOA had received many calls from people every day saying ‘we want to help, we’ve got a spare room’.

A recent survey by the Scanlon Foundation showed that 86% of Australians remain supportive of multiculturalism, the highest level recorded since the survey was introduced in 2007.

A man sentenced to death in Malaysia for the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu remains in immigration detention in Australia. Sirul Azhar applied for a protection visa in early 2015 and was advised last week that the assessment is ongoing.

Over one million refugees and migrants have fled to Europe by sea in 2015 according to figures released by the UNHCR. Meanwhile, Sweden is moving to tighten its borders in 2016 as the government cuts off asylum seekers' automatic entitlement to permanent residency. Asylum seekers who arrive will only be able to remain in Sweden temporarily – for one to three years.

Weekly media wrap - 28 December 2015

Around 8,000 people signed a petition to the Australian Government, accompanied by a letter to Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop, asking it to ratify the United Nations’ Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. Ratification would require Australia to accept UN inspections of immigration detention centres.

Major General Andrew Bottrell, Commander of Operation Sovereign Borders, indicated that people smugglers are using tactics to convince people that the Australian government's policies have changed, and using the Christmas period as a way to encourage people to board boats to Australia.

The Inside Story reports that no places have been taken as part of the agreement made between Australia and New Zealand to resettle between 150 and 175 refugees from Australia’s offshore processing system annually from 2014. A senior official has confirmed that the offer remains on the table, but there is a view that this approach would undermine a key tenet of Australia’s current policy – that is, not providing opportunity for asylum seekers who arrive illegally to settle in Australia.

Some refugees who arrived to Australia prior to 2012 have expressed concern about their refugee status in Australia after receiving letters from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, requiring them to have their refugee status reassessed to obtain a Temporary Protection Visa. This group is part of the backlog of 30,000 people currently on the Department’s books.

A boat carrying asylum seekers capsized off the coast of Turkey, where eighteen people drowned. At least 24 people have died in similar circumstances this week.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and International Organisation for Migration jointly reported that more than one million asylum seekers and migrants reached Europe in 2015, which includes over 970,000 who crossed the Mediterranean. This amounts to four times the number of arrivals in 2014. Half of those who arrived in Europe in 2015 were Syrians.

Weekly media wrap - 21 December 2015

Whistleblower Major General Paween Pongsirin has been urged to return to Thailand to pursue allegations of human trafficking against government officials. Pongsirin sought asylum in Australia after he received threats for uncovering alleged government links to the trafficking of Rohingya refugees.

Guardian Australia obtained 700 pages of Fazel Chegeni’s immigration department file, refugee who died in November on Christmas Island. Mr Chegani was detained for more than three years of the four he spent in Australia. Elsewhere in the detention network, 16 asylum seekers are on hunger strike in Darwin.

Angela Merkel signaled Germany will reduce its future refugee intake. Mrs Merkel has been subject to domestic political pressure after Germany registered approximately one million asylum seekers in 2015.

European leaders met to discuss a proposal to create a EU border and coastguard to address the ongoing flow of refugees and asylum seekers into the region. The meeting also provided a setting to discuss refugee quotas amongst the region.