The UN Committee against Torture (CAT) is a body of the United Nations that holds States accountable for human rights violations. It recently found that Australia failed to protect an Iranian asylum seeker from torture and ill-treatment during his years-long detention. The man had arrived on Christmas Island by boat in 2013 and was first sent to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea in offshore processing, and later detained in mainland Australia. He filed a complaint with CAT, reporting he was held in difficult conditions and subjected to violence, including an extremely serious attack by a security guard.
He was brought to Australia in 2019 for medical care but remained in immigration detention for nearly three years before being released into the community in 2022. This week, CAT concluded that Australia violated its international legal obligations by exposing him to torture in detention. It further recalled its longstanding concerns about Australia’s offshore processing policy, which has repeatedly exposed people seeking asylum to prolonged detention, uncertainty and conditions causing severe physical and mental suffering.
CARAD welcomes CAT’s findings and its call on the Australian government to provide the complainant with full redress, including compensation and rehabilitation, to afford him an opportunity to have his protection claims examined, and to adopt guarantees of non-repetition to prevent similar violations in the future.
Nauru Human Rights Review
On January 20, 2026, the UN Human Rights Council will review Nauru's human rights record in Geneva. This is the fourth such review (previous reviews occurred in 2011, 2015, and 2021).
The review examines reports from Nauru's government, UN human rights experts, and civil society groups. Countries are expected to report on their progress implementing previous recommendations and describe recent human rights developments.
The review conclusions will be adopted on January 30, 2026. To read more about the review follow: Nauru’s human rights record to be examined by Universal Periodic Review | OHCHR
CARAD welcomes the review and holds significant concerns regarding the recent deportations to Nauru under Australia’s secret offshore deal.