Asylum seeker sets himself on fire

Refugee advocates say an asylum seeker has died after setting himself on fire during a video call.

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(AAP) Source: AP

An asylum seeker has died after setting himself alight during a video call, refugee advocates say.

Khodayar Amini, 30, was talking to Refugee Rights Action Network members on the phone on Sunday when they say he doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire.

The night before his death, he sent a message to advocates saying: "My crime was that I was a refugee. They tortured me for 37 months... They killed me."

The man was dead when paramedics arrived at Clow Street, Dandenong, on Sunday afternoon, an Ambulance Victoria spokesman said.

The death is being treated as a suspected self-harm case, he said.

Advocate Sarah Ross told the ABC she and a network colleague were on a video call with Amini when he threatened to take his life.

The pair tried to talk him down, but were unsuccessful.

"He then, on the video, poured petrol over himself and he then lit himself alight," she said.

Ms Ross said she had spoken to Amini previously while he was in an immigration detention centre in Western Australia, but his mental health had deteriorated after he was released into the community.

He also feared he would be deported back to Afghanistan.

* For support and information about suicide prevention, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.


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Source: AAP



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