About 25 delegates did not fly home after the an international AIDS conference ended late last month, instead asking the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre for help.
The affected delegates are mostly from African countries but some are also from Asia.
One Tanzanian man told SBS Radio's Swahili program he feared being persecuted if he returned home after reporting illegal activities targeting albinos to the police.
“I received some phone calls from some wealthy people in Daar-el Salaam… They asked me to help them with the killing of albinos so their body organs can be sold and returned and they could become wealthier,” he said.
“I declined their proposal and reported the matter to the police who arrested them. However a few days later, I saw them walking freely and soon after I received some threatening phone calls from them, accusing me of reporting them and that they were going to deal with me accordingly.”
If he and other conference delegates apply for asylum, they will live in the community while their claims are assessed.
The issue of stigma and discrimination surrounding AIDS - including in Uganda, where homosexuality remains illegal and punishable by jail terms - was repeatedly raised at this year's conference.
It heard that such laws targeted minorities who bore a disproportionate share of the global pandemic, and created conditions under which HIV can spread.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison would not comment, though a spokeswoman said individual applications for asylum were not discussed for privacy reasons.
"All claims for protection are considered on their individual merits and according to law," she said.
- with AFP.
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