World Immigration News

Convicted murderer among three members of NZYQ cohort to be resettled in Nauru under deal struck by Labor

Release Date: 2025-02-16
Media: The Guardian
Summary: The Australian government has reached a secretive agreement with Nauru to resettle three non-citizens from the NZYQ cohort, including a convicted murderer, after granting them 30-year resettlement visas. The trio was placed in immigration detention ahead of their removal from Australia.

The NZYQ cohort consists of over 200 non-citizens released into the community following a 2023 High Court ruling that deemed indefinite immigration detention unlawful when there is no realistic prospect of deportation. The ruling was based on the case of "NZYQ," a stateless Rohingya man convicted of raping a 10-year-old in Australia, though he himself is not among the three being sent to Nauru.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke defended the decision, stating that those who have harmed Australians should have their visas canceled and be removed. In November 2023, the government passed laws allowing payments to third countries for resettling unlawful non-citizens. However, Burke declined to disclose the financial details of the Nauru deal.

The three individuals will remain in detention for seven days before being flown to Nauru, where they will live in separate accommodations with shared facilities and have work rights. Legal challenges against the resettlement are expected.

Critics, including human rights advocates and the Greens, have condemned the move as discriminatory and politically motivated. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre's Jana Favero argued that it undermines human rights and treats non-citizens unfairly. Greens Senator David Shoebridge accused the government of legitimizing the opposition’s harsh immigration stance, warning that such policies would lead to more suffering and division.
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