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Court decision on Monday – Novak Djokovic – “Persona non Grata” in the refugee hotel – News

7 January 20220

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The deportation detention for tennis star Novak Djokovic after his arrival has an unexpected side effect. Activists hope that his fate will spark the world’s interest in the inhumane conditions that refugees experience every day.

There are only a few Australians who can take something positive out of the Novak Djokovic drama. The Serbian world number one has become a “persona non grata” after trying to circumvent the mandatory vaccination for Australia with an exemption.

He landed in Melbourne on Wednesday to take part in the upcoming Australian Open. While the Victoria state government had given the unvaccinated player an exemption for medical reasons, the federal government refused to let him into the country on Wednesday.

Legend:

Reuters

Novak Djokovic is being deferred in the fight against his impending deportation from Australia. A final decision should not be made before a court hearing scheduled for Monday, an Australian government attorney said on Thursday.

The visa of the Grand Slam record champion was revoked by the authorities after his arrival on Wednesday evening (local time) due to non-compliance with the pandemic entry requirements. The border guard had previously stated that Djokovic’s visa had been canceled due to lack of evidence. Djokovic landed in Melbourne after he said he had applied for and received a medical exemption.

In Serbia, the news of Djokovic’s treatment caused a public outcry. President Aleksandar Vucic wrote on Instagram that he had spoken to Djokovic on the phone and told him that “all of Serbia is with him”. The Serbian authorities would “take all measures to stop the abuse of the best tennis player in the world as soon as possible”.

Djokovic only spent eight hours in detention at the airport. He was then taken to the Park Hotel Melbourne. The top athlete found little sympathy in Australia on Thursday. Only a small group of fans and Serbian nationalists gathered to demonstrate for his release.

Political benefit of the Djokovic case

With his arrest, Djokovic – probably without knowing it – has become a beacon of hope for Australian refugee activists. Human rights activists hope the situation will draw the world’s attention to Australia’s tough immigration policies. Because the hotel is used by Australia’s border police as a facility for asylum seekers.

A protester calls for the refugees to be released in front of the Park Hotel.

About 33 men are currently detained at the Park Hotel. Refugee lawyers have been demanding their release for years. “This is a very unfortunate situation that many people who come to Australia face,” said Alison Battisson of Human Rights For All, describing the tennis star’s situation. She assumes that, despite his prominence, he will not be treated any differently from other comers without proper papers.

Djokovic was most likely handcuffed, this is a standard procedure.

“First of all, he was most likely handcuffed, which is a standard procedure. From the airport Djokovic was brought to the detention hotel in a van with unmarked windows. ” In the hotel itself, the windows are completely sealed and coated with a film so that the detainees cannot be seen from the outside, explains Battisson.

Bad conditions for hotel residents

Djokovic’s flatmates in the Park Hotel are mainly asylum seekers whose refugee status has yet to be clarified or who are waiting to be deported. This process can take many years. The detainees are not allowed to leave the hotel or their rooms during this time.

Australia’s immigration policy is very strict. Without wanting to get into the country with the correct visa, the government will punish it as a serious offense.

For decades, Australia has been deporting mostly Muslim people who are trying to flee to Australia by boat via countries such as Indonesia, to internment camps in Papua New Guinea and Nauru, where they usually have to endure for years. The conditions in the camps are regularly described by human rights organizations as “inhuman” and “cruel”.

With this “policy of hardship” Australia wants to officially prevent imitators from making the dangerous journey across the sea. Refugee organizations accuse the government in Canberra of using the method to appeal to the subliminal racism in the people. The majority of the population supports this internment policy.

Recently there have been reports of maggots in food. The facility was also criticized by epidemiologists and architects for its poor ventilation. The Park Hotel was also recently the scene of a Covid-19 outbreak, in which half of the prisoners and around 20 employees were infected with the coronavirus.

“Novak Djokovic has the resources of the whole world behind him,” says Battisson. “If someone like him can be drawn into this brutal regime, then you have to imagine what people are confronted with who apply for asylum at the airport or by boat: They are faced with an impenetrable system of constantly changing rules and regulations.”