Pakistani man held by Australia freed after 1,490 days in arbitrary detention

A Pakistani man who was held in immigration detention by Australia for 1,490 days says his release feels “like a dream”.

Nauroze Anees was freed after the administrative appeals tribunal found he should not have a visa application refused on character grounds.

Anees, 33, had been in Australia since 2007, when he arrived on a student visa. In 2011, the visa was cancelled for non-compliance, after he abandoned his study to care for his partner, who suffered from serious mental health issues.

He was refused a partner visa on character grounds as he committed criminal offences during a period of homelessness, and had been in detention since October 2016.

But Anees was released from Villawood detention centre on 2 November, with the tribunal declaring he was not of bad character. He decided to speak out about his release this week, after receiving clearance from his lawyers.

“For the first few days I was still in shock,” he told Guardian Australia. “I couldn’t sleep. It felt like a dream, and that I would wake up and be back in detention.

“I’m just overwhelmed with the thousands and thousands of messages I’ve received from the people of Australia. I don’t know what good I did in my life to receive so much love.

“I’m just an ordinary man who has made mistakes in my life, and I’m just blessed to have the support of all of these people.”

The tribunal’s deputy president, Peter Britten-Jones, found that the offences committed by Anees between 2010 and 2013, including the theft of items such as perfume for his partner, anti-depressants for himself, sheets, food and drinks, occurred amid a backdrop of dire circumstances.

He found that in the 13 years Anees lived in Australia, he had not offended prior to this period, nor until he was detained in 2016, and so could not be considered to be of bad character.

“I have no concerns about the character of the applicant; to the contrary, I have found that he is of good character,” Britten-Jones said.

“The nature of his offending was not serious but, in any event, he has shown insight into his offending and has expressed genuine remorse.

“He does not pose any significant risk to the Australian community if released.”

Anees, who regularly published a blog while in detention, prompted an investigation into cash for visas allegations last year. At the time, the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, called him a “convicted criminal” in disputing some of the allegations.

The Department of Home Affairs declined to comment on his case, saying they did not discuss individual matters.

The Human Rights Commission had previously found Anees’s detention to be arbitrary, and the Pakistani high commission called for his release after raising the matter with Australian authorities.

Anees spent the last year of his detention in Villawood but spent time at most of Australia’s detention facilities, including Christmas Island.

He said after seeing multiple people die, and being subject to cruel and inhumane treatment within the immigration system, he planned to use his freedom to fight for the human rights of others.

While his application for permanent residency is assessed, he is exploring his new home of Sydney.

“I’m just enjoying the natural beauty of Australia, after being in a cage for so long,” he said. “Just sitting next to a lake and a tree, that’s life for me.”