The Nauru Detainee Who Set Himself on Fire Has Died

A 23-year-old refugee on Nauru, who set himself on fire in front of UN officials on Wednesday, has died in a Brisbane hospital.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has confirmed the Iranian man's death in a press release.

Sources tell VICE the man was on life support at Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital, which was switched off early on Friday.

The refugee—who The Guardian is reporting was named Omid—was airlifted from Nauru on Thursday, a full 24 hours after the incident happened. Refugee Action Coalition spokesperson Ian Rintou told Huffington Post Australia that a Careflight jet carrying Omid arrived in Brisbane at 2.10 PM on Thursday. There are reports his wife was placed on a plane en route to Australia.

A video of Omid dousing himself in petrol and setting himself alight was unearthed by Fairfax. The footage shows him encircled by onlookers as he shouts, "This action will prove how exhausted we are… I cannot take it anymore."

Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton offering his condolences, while not missing an opportunity to reiterate "we are not going to accept people who have come into the country illegally."

Local police deemed the self-immolation a "political protest" as there were UNHCR officials present, inspecting the island's regional processing facility. Omid allegedly met with the UN reps earlier in the day, and spoke to them about "the intolerable mental and physical pressure on refugees and particularly on himself, who [is] imprisoned at Nauru."

As VICE previously reported: "A detainee protest on Nauru has entered its 39th day, with up to four refugees having already attempted suicide by swallowing washing powder. In February, the Nauruan Government decided it would arrest and charge asylum seekers who attempted suicide in an effort to stamp out the practice."

Australia's tough border protection policy has been under renewed scrutiny is the past week, after Papua New Guinea's Supreme Court ruled the Manus Island detention centre illegal. The PNG and Australian Government are under strict orders to close the centre as soon as possible. Immigration minister Peter Dutton has ruled out the possibility of bringing any detainees—even those already found to be genuine refugees—to Australia.

More as this story develops.