MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to media reports, the man set fire to himself on Wednesday when UN officials were visiting the refugee detention facilities on Nauru, where over 450 refugees are currently living as their asylum applications are being processed by Australia.
"A 23-year-old Iranian man who set himself on fire in Nauru has tragically died today from his injuries," the statement reads.
Refugees, including young children, who come to Australia to seek asylum are transferred to offshore detention camps with reportedly inhuman conditions on the remote islands of Manus and Nauru in the Pacific Ocean, while their applications are reviewed.
Australian policy in regard to migrants applying for asylum in the country has been repeatedly criticized by rights groups for violating human rights and the inhumane living conditions at the detention centers.
