BRISBANE – Churches and cathedrals in Australia are offering sanctuary to asylum seekers who have suffered trauma and abuse to prevent their return to Nauru.

This comes after this week’s High Court ruling in Australia which threw out a challenge to Canberra’s policy of detaining asylum seekers in offshore camps.

Australia intercepts all boats bringing suspected asylum seekers to its territory and takes those on board to Nauru or to Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

The United Nations has urged the Australian government to refrain from transferring hundreds of asylum-seekers in Australia to Nauru.

And churches across Australia say they are prepared to defy the government and offer sanctuary to ayslum seekers who face deportation to the Pacific island.

In a statement, the UN said it was very concerned for those at risk of being returned and that most were in a fragile physical and mental state after reportedly being brought to Australia from Nauru to receive medical treatment.

Among those who may now be sent to Nauru are 37 babies who were born in Australia about 50 other children, and women who were sexually abused.

The UN said it would put Australia at risk of breaching its obligation “not to return any person to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment under the Convention against Torture”.

The Australian policy of processing asylum seekers arriving by boat abroad has been criticised by international agencies, but has overwhelming political support in Australia and is only opposed by the Greens.

At least 10 churches across Australia have offered sanctuary to asylum seekers who face imminent return to the offshore detention centre on Nauru.

The right to sanctuary is not recognised under Australian law, but is a Biblical concept which had legal basis during the middle ages.

The Rector of St Cuthbert’s Anglican Church in Darlington, Father Chris Bedding, said church leaders were ready to put their buildings and bodies on the line to protect the asylum seekers. “They’re going back to face abuse, denial of education, denial of medical care, and in some cases women who have been raped are going back to live on a small island with the people who raped them.

“My church and at least ten and probably more other churches around Australia are saying if the government tries to do that, we are going to offer sanctuary to those people so we can stand between them the abuse they are going to receive.”

The Anglican Dean of Brisbane, Dr Peter Catt, said he was prepared to face prosecution for providing sanctuary to the asylum seekers.

“We offer this refuge because there is irrefutable evidence from health and legal experts that the circumstances asylum seekers, especially children, would face if sent back to Nauru are tantamount to state-sanctioned abuse,” he said.

“We understand that the police would have the right to turn up and request entry. We would probably close the building down and refuse them entry, and then they would probably have to force their way into the building and those of us who had caused them to be obstructed would certainly be open to prosecution,” he said.

There is an offence under Australian law for “concealing and harbouring non-citizens”, which could potentially be used against the heads of churches seeking to prevent asylum seekers from being deported.

The federal government has continued to stress its support for offshore detention. The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said on Wednesday he had a “steadfast” resolve to prevent people smugglers.

Immigration minister Peter Dutton said the government would not be “dragging people out of churches” but insisted that the people’s cases would be individually considered on medical advice.

Dutton said the bulk of the group were people who were accompanying ill family members. Once medical assistance was completed the government would be looking to send people back to Nauru or to their country of origin with financial assistance.

Dutton reiterated his intention not to put any child in harm’s way.

“We have to be compassionate on one hand but we have to be realistic about the threat from people smugglers. We’re acting in the best interests not only for these children but children that would follow them.”

The government says the offshore policy deters people smuggling and saves lives at sea, but it has been widely criticised as breaking Australia’s legal obligations. - PNC