Lawyer tried to keep Somali rape victim in Australia

A lawyer for a pregnant Somalia refugee rape victim said he wanted to seek a court order keeping her in Australia before the government suddenly flew her to Nauru without providing the abortion she had requested.

The case of the 23-year-old woman, known by the pseudonym Abyan, has amplified criticisms of the Australian government’s tough policy of refusing to allow asylum seekers who arrive by boat to settle in Australia under any circumstances.

Asylum seekers who attempt to reach Australian shores are transferred to Australia-run immigration detention camps on the impoverished Pacific island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.