Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Papua New Guinea
Namah v. Pato (Manus Island detention)
Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea · Papua New Guinea · 2016-04-26 · National court
Citation: SC1497
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
Is the detention of asylum seekers brought to Manus Island by Australia constitutional?
What the court decided
No. The detention breached the constitutional right to personal liberty, and both governments were ordered to take steps to end it.
In plain language
Australia sent asylum seekers to a centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea said holding them there was unconstitutional.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Australia mengirim pencari suaka ke sebuah pusat di Pulau Manus, Papua Nugini. MA Papua Nugini menyatakan penahanan mereka di sana inkonstitusional.
Pertanyaan: Apakah penahanan pencari suaka yang dibawa Australia ke Pulau Manus konstitusional?
What happened afterwards
- 2013: Regional resettlement arrangement.
- 2016-04-26: Judgment.
- 2017-10: Centre closed; men moved to other facilities on the island.
Sources
Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).
Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/png-namah-2016/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.