Australia releases 83 immigrants after court ruling

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Australian authorities released 83 immigrants from detention on Wednesday following a court ruling.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said former detainees have been placed on "bridging visas," which would allow federal authorities to monitor their movements and keep the community safe, ABC News reported.

"People are being released with conditions, and we will ensure that law enforcement authorities, federal and state, work together," Wong was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.

The latest development follows an Australian High Court ruling last week that declared the detention of immigrants for an indefinite period is "unlawful and unconstitutional."

The High Court upheld the constitutional validity of indefinite immigration detention nearly 20 years ago in the Al-Kateb versus Godwin case, but a majority of the court judges overruled that decision last Wednesday.

Under the previous decision, the government routinely detained immigrants for prolonged periods, some for more than a decade.

According to Sanmati Verma, acting legal director at the Human Rights Law Centre of Australia, there were 124 people in detention whom the government has detained for over five years.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid