Papua New Guinea Judge Probes Rights at Australian Detention Camp

By Katie Bacharach

Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court has begun a human rights inquiry into Australia’s immigration detention center on Manus Island, according the BBC. The probe will assess whether the conditions there meet human rights requirements under PNG’s constitution.

Australia sends asylum seekers arriving by boat for detention and processing in offshore camps in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific territory of Nauru. The conditions of these camps have been strongly criticized by U.N. agencies and rights groups. The investigation will examine what human rights these asylum seekers have, whether they are being granted those rights, and if not, how their rights can be protected.