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"Increasing evidence that Australia is torturing refugees," claim medical experts

07:03 PM | 29 Jun, 2016
CANBERRA: The Leave campaigners in Britain's recent EU vote Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Nigel Farage have all called for the adoption of an Australian-style immigration system to control the inundation of refugees in the UK, even though experts from Australia have said that the system is “morally offensive.”

Australian immigration detention centers have long been flagged as sites of ongoing human rights violations. Recently, concerns have intensified that the treatment of asylum seekers in detention is like torture and a violation of human rights.

Reported instances of abuse at Australian immigration detention centers include waterboarding, zipping and individuals being tied to a metal bed with cable ties and injured.

To avoid prosecution under international law, Australian officials have constructed two detention centers on the islands of Manus and Nauru, which are both territories outside Australia. The condition of detainees at these centers is a closely guarded secret. Doctors working with the detainees are even legally barred from speaking out about their wards' ill-treatment.

In a review of detention centers under the Australian government’s control, medical ethicists Dr John-Paul Sanggaran of the University of New South Wales, and Professor Deborah Zion of Victoria University, have warned that there is “increasing evidence that Australia is engaged in torturing asylum seekers.”

“There are allegations of situations, circumstances and actions that also constitute cruel and unusual punishment throughout Australian immigration detention,” they wrote.

They noted the allegations by guards at the Nauru detention center “of waterboarding, familiar to most as a torture technique that simulates drowning used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in places like Guantanamo bay.”

Detainees are also secured to metal bed which are thrown in the air, causing injuries to the bound  individuals, they added.

The ethicists said "protections that ensured asylum seekers’ human rights have long been absent in the Australian immigration detention setting."

“In this way, those who control the collection and dissemination of information, in this case successive Australian governments extinguish evidence of the suffering of those in the present and silence their voices for all time,” they added.

In another article, Professor David Isaacs, who provided pediatric services at an immigration detention center, said the persistent imprisonment was “arguably to coerce asylum seekers into voluntarily returning to their own or another country and to deter others from seeking asylum.”

Last year, a United Nations report also accused Australia of breaking the Convention Against Torture over its treatment of migrants but the then Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, responded that “Australians are sick of being lectured to by the United Nations,” maintaining that their policies had stopped refugee boats from trying to make the dangerous sea journey to Australia and “ended the deaths at sea”.

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Rupee recovers marginally against US dollar, Euro, Pound, Dirham and Riyal; check forex rates

Pakistani rupee saw marginal improvement against US dollar as it appreciated in the open bank market.

Dollar Rate in Pakistan Today

On Thursday, the US dollar moved up and was being quoted at 285.3 for buying and 288.15 for selling.

Euro moves down to 311 for buying and 314 for selling. British Pound rate stands at 358.5 for buying, and 361.5 for selling.

UAE Dirham AED stands at 78 whereas the Saudi Riyal rate stands at 76.20.

Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - 30 November 2023

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar ‎USD 285.3 288.15
Euro EUR 311 314
UK Pound Sterling GBP 358.5 361.5
U.A.E Dirham AED 78 78.7
Saudi Riyal SAR 76.2 77
Australian Dollar AUD 187.2 189
Bahrain Dinar BHD 759.67 767.67
Canadian Dollar CAD 209 211
China Yuan CNY 39.58 39.98
Danish Krone DKK 41.38 41.78
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.63 36.98
Indian Rupee INR 3.39 3.5
Japanese Yen JPY 1.49 1.56
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 926.7 935.7
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 60.38 60.98
New Zealand Dollar NZD 173.44 175.44
Norwegians Krone NOK 26.25 26.55
Omani Riyal OMR 741.26 749.26
Qatari Riyal ‎QAR 77.63 78.33
Singapore Dollar SGD 211 213
Swedish Korona SEK 26.93 27.23
Swiss Franc CHF 325.9 328.4
Thai Bhat THB 8.23 8.38

Gold rates drop in Pakistan; Check today’s gold rates 1 December 2023

KARACHI – The gold price continues to climb up in the local market in line of upward trend in international market.

Gold Rates in Pakistan Today - 1 December 2023

On Thursday, the single tola of 24 Karat gold was available at Rs217,400, and the price for 10-gram gold reached Rs186,390.

Meanwhile, the 22 Karat Gold price stands at Rs199,282, 21 karat rate for each tola is Rs190,225 and 18k gold rate hovers around Rs163,050.

In international market, the price of precious metal hovers around $2,045 per ounce.

Today Gold Rate in Pakistan

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Karachi PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Islamabad PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Peshawar PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Quetta PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Sialkot PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Attock PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Gujranwala PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Jehlum PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Multan PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Bahawalpur PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Gujrat PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Nawabshah PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Chakwal PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Hyderabad PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Nowshehra PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Sargodha PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Faisalabad PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696
Mirpur PKR 217,400 PKR 2,696

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