Justice for the family of Reza Berati
KEY PROJECT | Corporate Accountability
Reza Berati was imprisoned in the Manus Island detention centre after seeking safety in Australia. He was beaten to death in 2014. The Human Rights Law Centre and Maurice Blackburn are representing the Berati family in legal action to hold the Australian Government and G4S to account.
Reza Berati was just 23 years old when he was brutally murdered by G4S security guards and other contractors in a violent rampage through the Manus Island Detention Centre in 2014, which also left over 70 other asylum seekers injured. He had fled Iran and sought safety in Australia. Reza was transferred to Australia’s detention centre on Manus Island under a cruel policy designed to punish refugees who arrived by sea.
Despite a Senate inquiry finding that the Australian government failed in its duty to care for Reza Berati and should provide compensation to the Berati family, almost a decade later, they had still not received any compensation or acknowledgment of their loss. Australian and New Zealand G4S guards allegedly involved in the murder fled the jurisdiction and were never punished. Reza's death became a symbol of the impunity of the Australian government and private contractors for serious human rights abuses in the offshore detention regime.
In 2021, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers and the Human Rights Law Centre supported the Berati family to take legal action against the Australian government and G4S for the loss of their son. In August 2023, after years of fighting for some measure of justice, Reza’s family finally successfully settled their claim against the defendants on confidential terms. His parents can now find some closure.
The case is a stark symbol of corporate complicity for abuses in offshore immigration detention. It was the first Australian legal case alleging that a company’s failure to comply with its own corporate human rights policy contributed to a breach of its duty of care.
Reza’s family should never have had to fight for justice for their son. Australian laws should clearly hold companies and governments to account when they violate human rights. The Human Rights Law Centre continues to advocate for legal reform and for a permanent end to Australia’s shameful experiment with indefinite offshore detention.
“We still feel the pain of Reza’s absence every single day. While there is nothing that will bring our Reza back or lessen the pain of his loss, we are glad that this case is over, we are satisfied that we fought for justice for Reza and are relieved now that we can try to move on with our lives. We hope that no other parent has to go through this pain and that nothing like this is allowed to happen ever again.”
- Reza Berati’s family