MELBOURNE, Australia — Asylum seekers who attempted to reach Australia by boat but were instead detained in offshore camps are suing the government, claiming that they have been subjected to “torture” and “crimes against humanity.”

In two class action lawsuits filed in the country’s High Court on Friday, about 1,200 migrants detained on the islands of Nauru and Manus, Papua New Guinea, say that the conditions in the facilities and mistreatment by the Australian government amounted to negligence.

What do the detainees claim?

The detainees, represented by the National Justice Project, a human rights group, say that through arbitrary imprisonment, deprivation of liberty, denial of medical care and a lack of adequate food, water and a safe environment, the Australian government has violated international law and abrogated its “duty of care” for asylum seekers.

Such negligence, the detainees’ lawyers argue, meets the definition of torture and crimes against humanity. They are seeking an injunction which would transfer the asylum seekers to safety in Australia, as well as reward damages.