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Afghan Teens Pledge Suicide If Not Released from Australian Detention

HeadlineJan 30, 2002

And this news from Australia: Television footage of an Afghan asylum seeker hurling himself on razor wire at the Woomera detention center in South Australia may have succeeded in getting the attention of the Australian government where domestic and international outrage have failed. Eleven Afghan teenagers who made a suicide pact extended their deadline by 24 hours, pledging to kill themselves by this afternoon unless they were released from the desert camp. Lawyers say the teenagers plan to slash their wrists, poison themselves or jump onto the razor wire. The threat follows desperate measures taken by Afghan and Middle Eastern detainees to draw attention to the conditions in the center. Guards prevented a 16-year-old Iraqi boy from hanging himself overnight. Last week, nine unaccompanied teenagers — five Afghans and four Iraqis — said they would commit suicide unless they were freed. They had been removed and placed in the care of South Australian social services. As a hunger strike by more than 200 mainly Afghan asylum seekers entered its 14th day, the Australian government indicated it might back down and close the detention center if the number of people arriving by boat continues to fall. But despite the attention, the conservative Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who’s visiting the United States, continued to defend the government’s refugee policies.

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