PNG top court halts deportation of asylum seekers

Papua New Guinea's (PNG's) Supreme court has temporarily halted the deportation of asylum seekers back to their home countries from the Australian-run Manus Island immigration detention center.

The court granted the interim order late on Tuesday night, until a full hearing on Thursday.

The order follows the deportation of two Iranian asylum seekers from the Manus Island detention center even though a case was before the court to stop their removal, local media reported Wednesday.

Ben Lomai, the lawyer acting for 300 asylum seekers challenging their detention on constitutional grounds, told the Guardian Australia the order applies to asylum seekers who have been granted a notice of their removal.

Lomai argues the asylum seekers have been denied fundamental rights granted under the PNG constitution, saying they should be released back to their first port of entry, which is Australia.

PNG runs the refugee status determination and resettlement process for the Manus Island detainees though private contractors hired by the Australian government run the detention center.

A spokesperson for the Australian department of immigration and border protection on Wednesday told Xinhua the government is committed to the implementation of regional processing and settlement arrangements in PNG, however maintained the protection claims and removal of non-refugees is a matter for the PNG government.

The Manus Island detention center has been shrouded in controversy over the past months following accusations Australian contractors had allegedly committed sexual assault against a local woman.

The private security contractors were sent back to Australia following the allegations, however local authorities have claimed their removal was part of a cover up by Australia's department of immigration and border protection.

Australian authorities have denied the coverup accusation, saying the removal was committed with full knowledge of PNG authorities.

On Tuesday, a pre-inquest hearing to the death of an Iranian asylum seeker at the Manus Island detention center heard authorities were unclear if the man was being held under PNG or Australian law, which it is alleged, hampered medical treatment.

The Iranian asylum seeker died in an Australian hospital in September 2014 after medical staff had attempted to treat an ulcer on his leg at the detention center before he became deeply comatose, suffered multiple cardiac arrests, and eventually brain death.

The man was originally transferred to Port Moresby for medical treatment, before being sent to Australia due to a lack of medical equipment to confirm brain death.

A full inquest into the man's death will start in December. Endi