Iranian refugee Loghman Sawari has been returned to Papua New Guinea against his will. Credit:Andrew Meares The director of Fiji's Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, Ashwin Raj, said the deportation was in clear breach of international law and had "the possibility of exposing him to inhuman and degrading treatment". Lawyer Aman Ravindra-Singh said he had an agreement with Fiji's director of immigration, Nemani Vuniwaqa, for Mr Sawari to lodge his application for asylum on Friday. Mr Sawari had wanted to present earlier, but Mr Ravinda-Singh said he had made the arrangement on Tuesday to give him time to gather all the relevant documents. "I'm absolutely disgusted at the behaviour of the Fiji government and their lack of respect for human rights and their whole arbitrary action," he said. The United Nations refugee agency had requested that Mr Sawari have "full access" to Fiji's national asylum procedures before there was any consideration of removing him, a request that was ignored. Like Australia and PNG, Fiji is a signatory to the refugee convention.

A Fijian media outlet has published pictures of Loghman Sawari being taken to the airport. A spokesperson for UNHCR's regional representation in Canberra, Catherine Stubberfield, said the agency was "profoundly concerned" for Mr Sawari's wellbeing. "After almost four years spent in harsh and isolating conditions on Manus Island, Mr Sawari's sense of helplessness and hopelessness is acute," she said. Ms Galbraith, who recently spent time with Mr Sawari in Port Moresby, says he is in no psychological state to return. "I appeal to any country who will uphold the most basic of human rights to reach out to Loghman and provide this young man with a safe place to be," she said. "Having spoken with Loghman many times since he arrived in Fiji, I believe that this is the end for him. He is unable to survive any longer in this brutal and abusive system. His emotional and mental health have been fragile for a long time and none more so than now." Mr Sawari flew to Fiji under a false name last week, telling Fairfax Media it was his final attempt to be free. "If I go back (to PNG) they will make me crazy or they put me in the jail. I'm sure about that," he said.

He is unable to survive any longer in this brutal and abusive system "My problem is I cannot go back to Iran and I can't stay in PNG. I don't want to go to Australia. I just want to be free, just like human being." The Ahwazi Arab's time in PNG has been punctuated by beatings, bullying, imprisonment, illness, suicide attempts and living on the street in Lae, one of the country's most dangerous cities. Mr Sawari was just 17 when he arrived on Manus Island in August 2013. Mr Ravinda-Singh said Mr Sawari was in a "very, very horrible state" because of the aggression used to remove him. "He could have walked to the vehicle. He's been through a lot. The way they did things, it was almost like special forces jumping out of nowhere, making the whole atmosphere so aggressive," he said.

"It was totally uncalled for. Serious criminals walk free in this country whereas asylum seekers, genuine refugees, are treated like criminals." Mr Raj has called for a review of Fiji's immigration and border control laws and lamented that some politicians sought to exploit Mr Sawari's situation for political gain. But he also delivered a blistering attack on Australia's treatment of asylum seekers. "The fact is that advanced liberal democracies like Australia have abnegated their responsibilities by incarcerating human beings rendered stateless and displaced by war, discrimination on the basis of ethnic, racial, religious or sexual identity or political opinion in the most deplorable conditions with no regard to human dignity or human rights in places such as Manus Island," Mr Raj said. Loading "If we are going to occupy an indomitable moral plateau and judge Fiji, then Australia must take responsibility too and stop using the Pacific as its dumping ground."