EXPLAINER: Why the High Court’s Immigration Decision Was Important

The High Court of Australia has handed down a landmark ruling that keeps 200 immigration detainees locked up.

The High Court of Australia in Canberra on Aug. 22, 2011. Torsten Blackwood /AFP via Getty Images

The government has won a crucial victory in the High Court which will prevent the release of as many as 200 more immigration detainees.

The case was brought by a detainee known by the pseudonym ASF17, an Iranian citizen, who sought his release from detention on the basis that he fears harm in Iran due to his bisexuality.