An Afghan refugee who had his visa cancelled due to child pornography convictions set himself alight at a West Australian immigration detention centre after previous bids to end his own life.
The man is Ali Jaffari, who had his permanent protection visa cancelled in May last year, Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul told AAP.
The immigration department confirmed a detainee at the Yongah Hill detention centre near Northam had harmed himself overnight and said he was being treated at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth.
He was airlifted there and is in a critical condition, with burns to 90 per cent of his body.
"WA Police are now investigating the matter and it is not appropriate to comment further at this time," the department said.
Jaffari had his visa revoked in 2014 when he was charged with viewing child pornography on his laptop using free wi-fi for up to three hours a day at a Melbourne public library.
At that hearing the court was told Jaffari had also been convicted and sentenced to 300 hours of community service and placed on the sex offenders register for 15 years over an incident involving a teenage boy in Geelong in November 2012.
Mr Rintoul said Jaffari had been held at the detention centre, 90km east of Perth, for about eight months.
He was in indefinite detention, "so there were no prospects, let alone immediate prospects of release", Mr Rintoul claimed.
"There's simply been no adequate mental health treatment or proper care."
He also claimed Jaffari had tried to end his own life several times in recent weeks, and said it defied belief that he was able to get petrol.
Facility operator Serco declined to comment and referred AAP to the immigration department.
Union representative, assistant secretary Pat O'Donnell of United Voice WA, said several guards had been injured in the incident, raising major concerns about safety.
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