An Iranian woman jailed for adultery after fleeing an abusive marriage and the father who vowed to kill her, has been given the chance to re-apply for a humanitarian visa a decade after seeking asylum in Australia.
The Federal Court last month quashed an “irrational” 2018 Immigration Assessment Authority decision following a ministerial call not to grant the woman safe haven.
The authority, established by Tony Abbott’s coalition government nearly a decade ago, is tasked with reviewing fast-track options to refuse protection visas by the federal immigration minister but has come under fire
Judge Heather Riley’s ruling allows the 37-year-old and her two children, both born in Australia, to have the application reviewed again.
She is not being named for fear of repercussions.
In 2013 the woman was detained in custody for a week in Tehran on adultery charges even though she had by then been divorced from her husband for two months, before being bailed.
“Police broke the door, hit me, handcuffed me on the floor and bundled me up in a police van. I wasn’t even dressed properly. It was very scary,” she tells AAP.
“Even after 10 years I always remember this incident. I’m still scared at the sight of police in Australia. I know I haven’t done anything wrong but always I’m scared of them.”
Read the article by Farid Farid in The Canberra Times.