SBS Dateline | Breaking Point

What would drive an asylum seeker, who feared for his life in his home country of Iraq, to take his own life inside an Australian detention centre?

Ahmad Al Akabi left behind a grief-stricken widow and three children after hanging himself at Villawood in Sydney in November last year.

In a special investigation by Dateline, video journalist Fouad Hady travels around Iraq and Australia searching for answers.

He hears from Al Akabi’s family and friends about the dangers that forced him to take a boat to Australia, and analyses his Australian immigration records, which show his concerns about returning to Iraq were not considered credible.

Dateline’s report comes in the week that the United Nations condemned the Australian Government over its mandatory detention policy, as did the Australian Human Rights Commission.

But what finally tipped Ahmad Al Akabi over the edge? And who should take responsibility?

WATCH - Click to see Fouad's report.

HELPLINE CONTACTS - Anyone who wants information or support about dealing with depression should contact one of these Australian helplines.

WORLD NEWS AUSTRALIA - Go to SBS World News Australia's special section on Australia's Asylum Debate.

GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM - Watch SBS's groundbreaking series following six Australians as they trace, in reverse, the difficult journeys that asylum seekers have taken to reach Australia.

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