Australia's repeal of refugee 'Medevac' law 'inhumane': UN

Australia's decision to repeal a law allowing ill asylum-seekers in Papua New Guinea and on Nauru to travel to the country for medical treatment was "cruel, inhumane and unnecessary," the United Nations said Friday. The so-called "Medevac" law was passed in February, permitting refugee transfers from the Pacific nations if they were requested by two or more doctors.

About 180 were brought to Australia for medical support under the law, before the country's conservative government repealed it this week. "Medical experts, not politicians, should be at the heart of decisions about people's medical care," the UN rights office said in a statement. "Removing a fair, transparent and doctor-led process for accessing essential, and in many cases, life-saving medical care is cruel, inhumane and unnecessary."

UN refugee agency spokesman Babar Baloch added that the law's repeal "may negatively impact vital care for asylum-seekers in offshore processing facilities."

Canberra has sent anyone attempting to arrive in Australia by boat to Papua New Guinea's Manus island and Nauru, and has argued the "Medevac" law offered a back door entry to the country.

It claimed the law had "exposed Australians to unacceptable risk" and weakened national security.

During a visit to Australia in October, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet had urged the government not to reverse the law.