Mohammed Sagar
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Sagar is an Iraqi Shi'a Muslim
refugee
who was detained on Manus Island
and Nauru
between 2001 and 2006. Sagar became the last of approximately 1,300 refugees from the Middle East
to be detained on Nauru under the Australian Government's "Pacific Solution
" after an adverse security assessment was issued by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
(ASIO). He resettled in Sweden
in 2007 after the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' efforts to secure asylum in a third country finally met with success.
against Sadaam Hussein. Upon their return, his family found their home destroyed by a rocket, and Sagar was injured by an unexploded bomb as he helped to clear rubble. In 1997, after hearing rumours that his family was in danger, Sagar abandoned his microbiology studies and fled Iraq for Iran
with his parents and siblings. In May 2001, he left Iran alone, travelling to Malaysia and Indonesia
.
In October 2001, he boarded the Olong, a boat bound for Australian waters carrying 223 asylum seekers. Shortly after entering Australian waters, the Olong, which was designated Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel IV (SIEV IV) by the Australian Government, was intercepted by the Australian Navy vessel HMAS Adelaide
and forced to return to international waters. After SIEV IV sank, its passengers were rescued by the crew of the Adelaide. The sinking of the SIEV IV triggered the children overboard scandal after then Immigration Minister Phillip Ruddock, Defence Minister Peter Reith
and Prime Minister John Howard
falsely claimed that passengers of SIEV IV had thrown their own children overboard.
Sagar was sent to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea
with other asylum seekers from the SIEV IV. He was transferred to Nauru in September 2002.
, were notified that they had been assessed to represent a "risk to Australia's national security" and therefore would not be permitted to settle in Australia. Neither Faisal nor Sagar were informed of the reasons for the adverse assessment.
ASIO's adverse assessments effectively exposed Sagar and Faisal to the prospect of indefinite detention on Nauru, despite the Australian Government's recognition that their fears of persecution if returned to Iraq were genuine. The adverse assessments also undermined attempts by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to secure asylum for Sagar and Faisal in a country other than Australia.
While in detention, Sagar set up a website, Refugees Left on Nauru, on which he posted photographs of the almost deserted refugee camp and described the psychological challenges faced by the last two refugees remaining on the island:
In September 2006, Faisal became suicidal and was evacuated to a hospital in Brisbane
, Australia, where he was able to apply directly for asylum to the Australian Government. This triggered a second ASIO security assessment, which found that Faisal did not present a risk to national security. In early 2007 Faisal was granted a permanent visa and allowed to stay in Australia. Sagar's adverse security assessment, however, remains intact.
, Paul O'Sullivan
in the Federal Court of Australia, seeking orders to quash the adverse security assessments.
On November 3, 2006 the ABC reported that Mohammed Sagar and Muhammad Faisal, along with deported US peace activist Scott Parkin
won "the right to know why ASIO gave them adverse security assessments". ASIO subsequently appealed to the full court. Justices Ryan, North and Jessup are due to deliver their judgement on 18 July.
, a city in the north of Sweden.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
who was detained on Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
and Nauru
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
between 2001 and 2006. Sagar became the last of approximately 1,300 refugees from the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
to be detained on Nauru under the Australian Government's "Pacific Solution
Pacific Solution
The Pacific Solution was the name given to the Australian government policy of transporting asylum seekers to detention camps on small island nations in the Pacific Ocean, rather than allowing them to land on the Australian mainland...
" after an adverse security assessment was issued by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is Australia's national security service, which is responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically-motivated violence, attacks on the Australian defence system, and...
(ASIO). He resettled in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 2007 after the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' efforts to secure asylum in a third country finally met with success.
Experiences as a refugee
At the age of 15, Sagar fled Najaf with his family during the massacre which followed the 1991 Shi'a Muslim uprising1991 uprisings in Iraq
The 1991 uprisings in Iraq were a series of anti-governmental rebellions in southern and northern Iraq during the aftermath of the Gulf War. The revolt was fueled by the perception that the power of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was vulnerable at the time; as well as by heavily fueled anger at...
against Sadaam Hussein. Upon their return, his family found their home destroyed by a rocket, and Sagar was injured by an unexploded bomb as he helped to clear rubble. In 1997, after hearing rumours that his family was in danger, Sagar abandoned his microbiology studies and fled Iraq for Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
with his parents and siblings. In May 2001, he left Iran alone, travelling to Malaysia and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
In October 2001, he boarded the Olong, a boat bound for Australian waters carrying 223 asylum seekers. Shortly after entering Australian waters, the Olong, which was designated Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel IV (SIEV IV) by the Australian Government, was intercepted by the Australian Navy vessel HMAS Adelaide
HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01)
HMAS Adelaide was the lead ship of the Adelaide class of guided missile frigates built for the Royal Australian Navy, based on the United States Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates...
and forced to return to international waters. After SIEV IV sank, its passengers were rescued by the crew of the Adelaide. The sinking of the SIEV IV triggered the children overboard scandal after then Immigration Minister Phillip Ruddock, Defence Minister Peter Reith
Peter Reith
Peter Keaston Reith, , former Australian politician, was a Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and then a senior Cabinet minister in the first two terms of the Howard Government.-Early life:...
and Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
falsely claimed that passengers of SIEV IV had thrown their own children overboard.
Sagar was sent to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
with other asylum seekers from the SIEV IV. He was transferred to Nauru in September 2002.
ASIO security assessment
While on Nauru, Sagar was interviewed by officers from the ASIO. In August 2005, Sagar and another Iraqi refugee, Muhammad FaisalMuhammad Faisal
Muhammad Faisal is an Iraqi refugee who was detained on the island of Nauru between 2001 and 2006 under the Australian Government's "pacific solution"...
, were notified that they had been assessed to represent a "risk to Australia's national security" and therefore would not be permitted to settle in Australia. Neither Faisal nor Sagar were informed of the reasons for the adverse assessment.
ASIO's adverse assessments effectively exposed Sagar and Faisal to the prospect of indefinite detention on Nauru, despite the Australian Government's recognition that their fears of persecution if returned to Iraq were genuine. The adverse assessments also undermined attempts by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to secure asylum for Sagar and Faisal in a country other than Australia.
While in detention, Sagar set up a website, Refugees Left on Nauru, on which he posted photographs of the almost deserted refugee camp and described the psychological challenges faced by the last two refugees remaining on the island:
There might be people who are not aware of the real meaning of the word "detention." It simply means that you do not own your life any more, or in other words, you can't feel alive any more. Especially when you are held in the same situation for a long time with no signs of any changes that might happen in the near future.
In September 2006, Faisal became suicidal and was evacuated to a hospital in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia, where he was able to apply directly for asylum to the Australian Government. This triggered a second ASIO security assessment, which found that Faisal did not present a risk to national security. In early 2007 Faisal was granted a permanent visa and allowed to stay in Australia. Sagar's adverse security assessment, however, remains intact.
Federal Court case
In February 2006, Sagar and Faisal launched civil action against the Director-General of SecurityDirector-General of Security
The Director-General of Security is the executive officer of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation , the domestic security agency of Australia...
, Paul O'Sullivan
Paul O'Sullivan
Paul Thomas O'Sullivan, AO is Australia's High Commissioner to New Zealand and former Director-General of Security. Prior to his appointment to head ASIO in July 2005, O'Sullivan was former Prime Minister John Howard's senior foreign affairs advisor.O'Sullivan attended Marcellin College, Randwick,...
in the Federal Court of Australia, seeking orders to quash the adverse security assessments.
On November 3, 2006 the ABC reported that Mohammed Sagar and Muhammad Faisal, along with deported US peace activist Scott Parkin
Scott Parkin
Scott Parkin Scott Parkin Scott Parkin (b. 1969, Garland, Texas is a peace, environmental and global justice organizer, community college history instructor, and a founding member of the Houston Global Awareness Collective. He has been a vocal critic of the American invasion of Iraq, and of...
won "the right to know why ASIO gave them adverse security assessments". ASIO subsequently appealed to the full court. Justices Ryan, North and Jessup are due to deliver their judgement on 18 July.
Settlement in Sweden
In December 2006, the Swedish Government agreed to allow Sagar to settle in that country. In February the following year he left Nauru. He currently lives in ÖrnsköldsvikÖrnsköldsvik
Örnsköldsvik is a locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 28,617 inhabitants in 2005.Its natural harbour and archipelago is in the Gulf of Bothnia and the northern boundaries of the High Coast area. It is well known as an exporter of paper products...
, a city in the north of Sweden.
External links
- Archive of Refugees Left on Nauru website, 20 July 2006.
- Editorial: Then there was one. Australia stands ashamed., The Age, 30 September 2006.
- Living in Limbo, The Age, 30 September 2006.
- Michael Gordon, Last man standing, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 September 2006.
- AAP, Visa wrangle over last man standing, Sydney Morning Herald, 3 October 2006.
- AAP, Labor demands return of Nauru detainee, Sydney Morning Herald, 4 October 2006.
- Michael Gordon, Nauru sets record refugee visa fee, The Age, 4 October 2006.
- Nick Squires, He's the last man standing on refugee island and costs Australia £8m a year, Daily Telegraph, 6 October 2006.
- Michael Gordon, Will this man lose the will to live?, The Age, 11 October 2006.
- Nick Squires, Stranger on a strange island, Christian Science Monitor, October 18, 2006
- Michael Gordon, Loneliest refugee finds a home, The Age, 4 December 2006.
- Michael Gordon, Last Nauru detainee's agony ends, Sydney Morning Herald, 4 December 2006.
- Susan Metcalfe, Last man standing, New Matilda, 6 December 2006.
- Michael Gordon, In a Swedish spring, a life snap-frozen thaws, The Age, 12 May 2007.
- James Button, A long road to justice, The Age, 4 August 2007.