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Refugee awarded €10k over 'blatant racism' in landlord's message
Summary
A refugee asylum‑seeker, Irfanullah Refah, who fled Afghanistan in 2017, won €10,000 from a Workplace Relations Commission tribunal after his landlord, Aidan Corless, sent a text message in July 2023 that the tribunal described as "blatant racism." The message, sent during a tenancy dispute, accused Refah of living in the apartment "illegally" and threatened that authorities would check his papers and possibly deport him back to Afghanistan, where he feared for his life. Corless apologized, saying the text was sent in frustration and that he was "not proud of it." The tribunal found the message referenced Refah's immigrant status and was discriminatory under the Equal Status Act 2000, awarding the compensation accordingly. The case highlights the impact of racially‑charged communication on a vulnerable tenant during a tenancy dispute.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Refugee awarded €10k over 'blatant racism' in landlord's message. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial
When:
- July 2023 Other
- 24 July Other
- 27 February 2022 Other
- September 2023 Other
- 2024-08-06 Publication
Why: Because his work had involved liaising with American military forces, Mr Refah had to flee when the Taliban went on the offensive in 2017, Mr Reddin explained. CNI source report
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