Iranian dies in apparent suicide in Australian camp

SYDNEY: An Iranian asylum-seeker was found dead on Friday on the remote island of Nauru in what refugee advocates say was an apparent suicide, some five years after Australia sent him to the tiny Pacific nation.

Canberra has sent asylum-seekers who try to enter the country by boat to camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island. They are barred from resettling in Australia.

The harsh policy is designed to deter people embarking on treacherous sea journeys, but the United Nations and other rights groups have criticised the camps’ conditions and long detention periods.

Australia’s home affairs department said it was aware of the death on Nauru but referred further enquiries to authorities in that country.

The Refugee Action Coalition’s Ian Rintoul said the 26-year-old died from an apparent suicide, with the exact means to be confirmed. "News of the man’s death has shattered the asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru," he said.

"He was a well known, well liked, athletic young man who did everything he could for his brother and mother."