Egyptian refugee Sayed Abdellatif cleared as security threat by Asio, but still detained after 11 years

Abdellatif says he doesn’t understand why he remains in detention. An Australian Border Force spokesperson could not comment on individual cases. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

An Egyptian refugee detained by Australia for more than a decade has been cleared by Asio of being a security threat, but the home affairs department continues to stall on his release.

Sayed Abdellatif arrived in Australia by boat in 2012, seeking asylum with his wife and children. Australia has recognised he has a well-founded fear of being persecuted and cannot be forced to return to his home country. But he has been denied a visa on the basis of tainted security assessments and held in immigration detention.