Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic’s misadventures in Australia shed light on methods “Kafkaesque” of the country in terms of reception of refugees and border management, says the country’s press.
In the match between him and Novak Djokovic, the Australian government committed a double fault, analyzes Sangeetha Pillai, of the Kaldor Center for International Refugee Law at the University of New South Wales, in an article published by the Sydney Morning Herald : “Not content with giving the world a bad image of our country, Australia’s treatment of Djokovic reveals serious problems in our migration policy and procedures.”
“Travelers to Australia have the right to demand clear information regarding the conditions of entry into the country before boarding a plane, writes the lawyer. People should have access to a lawyer before being detained or deported, and nothing should be done to dissuade them from benefiting from it. […] People who have applied for asylum at Australian airports, or who are believed to have intended, have had their visas canceled by customs officials. Like Djokovic, they are taken into custody […]. But unlike him, many are often deported in complete secrecy and without any access to justice. And for these people, to be deported means to be sent back to a place where their physical integrity, even their life, is in danger..”
Disowned by a federal judge, the Australian government still has the power to cancel the visa of the Serbian player. On Monday, Novak Djokovic left the center where he had been staying since January 6 free. According to Australia’s 9 News, the Park Hotel has been used since 2020 as an ad hoc detention center for around fifty refugees, “Many of whom are seeking visas to stay in Australia”. Some have been detained for months or even years.
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