Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has confirmed that one of the members of the Iranian women’s football team delegation granted asylum in Australia has requested to be returned to Iran.
He said one of the two who made the decision to stay in Brisbane before the team left for Sydney had changed his mind and he was informed shortly after 10am today.
“(They) had spoken to some of the teammates who had left and changed their minds,” he said.
“In Australia, people can change their minds. We respect the context in which she made this decision.“
The woman contacted Iranian embassy officials, who picked her up from the hotel where she was staying with other members of the delegation who had decided to stay in Australia.
“As a result, this meant that the Iranian embassy now knew where everyone was,” Mr Burke said.
“I immediately gave the order to move people, and this is being resolved.”
He said officials spoke to the woman who changed her mind to “make sure it was her decision” and that “any questions you would like to ask have been asked.”
“Can I just say that, for every member of this delegation, Australia has shown them a respect that would not be familiar to them in Iran. They have been shown a country prepared to say: ‘The choice is yours,'” Mr Burke said during question time.
“I think we can all be very proud of the Australian Federal Police and my Home Affairs officials who have all been involved in this project to ensure that Australia is a country where they can see that there is freedom of choice for women as well.”
Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said in a social media post that Iran would welcome the team home “with open arms.”
He accused the Australian government of taking “our athletes hostage”.
“Don’t worry, Iran is waiting for you,” he said.
The president of Iran’s football federation says Australia has put pressure on members of the women’s football team to seek asylum.
Speaking to state television, MehdiTaj, who is aligned with the Iranian regime, said that when the team tried to leave the country, police intervened on the orders of the prime minister.
He expressed concern about the separation of men and women during airport security checks, saying women were more vulnerable and had less experience dealing with political pressure.
Seven members granted asylum
Seven members of the Iranian women’s football team have been granted asylum in Australia, with the government confirming that all but a few members of the delegation were individually offered refuge as they embarked on their journey home.
Mr Burke detailed the final moments of the women’s stay in Australia at a press conference, explaining that the players were separated from their guards and spoken to individually as they went through customs at Sydney International Airport on Tuesday evening.
The plight of the soccer team, known as the Lionesses, attracted international attention and input from US President Donald Trump after several players refused to sing the Iranian national anthem before a match broadcast in Australia.
The Minister of the Interior with the Iranian player and his companion who requested asylum on Tuesday. A total of seven members of the delegation remained in Australia. (Instagram: Tony Burke)
They were labeled “Traitors” on Iranian state television in response, sparking concerns about their safety in the Islamic Republic, where corruption or treason is punishable by death.
“Australia’s goal was not to force people to make a particular decision. We’re not that kind of nation,” Mr Burke told reporters on Wednesday.
“What we wanted to make sure of was that, perhaps for the first time, these individuals were encountering a government that was saying to them, “It’s up to you and here’s the opportunity if you want to take it.”“
The two additional members of the team had indicated to Australian officials on Tuesday that they were willing to accept the offer of protection, at which point the interior minister said they had been separated from the rest of the group and sequestered in a secure location by Australian police.
Mr Burke then traveled to Brisbane to meet the two men, armed with the necessary documents to start the visa process immediately.
“I made them the same offer that I had made to the five players the night before, which was that if they wanted to receive a humanitarian visa to Australia… I had the documents ready to execute it immediately,” he said.
“They both said yes.”
Details of Australia’s final moments revealed
The remaining members of the delegation traveled to Sydney, where they were scheduled to board an international flight to Kuala Lumpur.
At that point, all the remaining players and “most of the people who supported them” were taken individually to meeting rooms and again offered the option of remaining in Australia, Mr Burke said.
Some team members chose to contact family members at this stage, he added, but “ultimately in Sydney none of those people made the decision to accept the Australian offer.”
Home Secretary Tony Burke with the first five members of the team to apply for asylum. (ABC News: Supplied: Interior Department)
“What we made sure of was that there was no rush, there was no pressure. It was about ensuring the dignity of these individuals so that they could make a choice,” Mr Burke said.
“Clearly the only pressure we couldn’t eliminate was context.”
One member of the delegation was delayed boarding the flight due to efforts to contact family members abroad and deliberations over whether to leave, the minister said in response to speculation that at least one person had not left voluntarily.
“We didn’t know which way this person would go,” he said.
“This individual ultimately made his own decision.”
The government decided not to grant visas to a “small number” of people traveling with the group.
“There have been people who have left Australia and I’m glad they’re no longer in Australia,” Mr Burke said.
He later clarified that this comment referred to people traveling with the group who appeared to pressure or discourage the women from accepting the offer to stay in Australia.
Loading
Supporters of the women gathered at the airport on Tuesday evening and cheers erupted when news spread that two other members of the group had chosen to stay in Australia.
The visas offered to the seven people are valid for 12 months and pave the way to permanent residence. The same types of visas have already been granted to Ukrainians, Palestinians and Afghans.
Loading…
