PNG's Supreme Court rules against detention of asylum seekers

PNG's Supreme Court rules detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island is illegal

By PNG  Eric Tlozek and political reporter Stephanie Anderson

Updated about 3 hours ago

There are 850 men in the detention centre on Manus Island, about half of whom have been found to be refugees.The five-man bench of the court ruled the detention breached the right to personal liberty in the PNG constitution.(Now if this was under Australian law our constitution does not guarantee human rights and yet PNG's constitution which Australia helped draft does..strange but true)

The Supreme Court has ordered the PNG and Australian Governments to immediately take steps to end the detention of asylum seekers in PNG.

"Both the Australian and Papua New Guinea governments shall forthwith take all steps necessary to cease and prevent the continued unconstitutional and illegal detention of the asylum seekers or transferees at the relocation centre on Manus Island and the continued breach of the asylum seekers or transferees constitutional and human rights," the judges ordered.