Tag: asylum seekers

Lawmakers must reject a bill to give the Australian Border Force the right to confiscate mobile phones — a lifeline of information, communication, and documentation — from asylum seekers in Australian immigration detention.

The island nation of Nauru may be tiny — only 21 square kilometers (8.5 square miles) — but what is happening there should reverberate around the world. Over the past few weeks, the government of Nauru has imposed an internet shutdown, blocking people from using certain sites on the pretext of protecting them from online pornography. At the same time, it has passed a dangerous new provision in its criminal code that could restrict free expression. These developments are putting people who care about human rights on high alert.