He was threatened with beheading by the Taliban after immigration officials leaked his private details online, and now asylum seeker Nadir Sadiqi fears he will be sent home to certain death in Afghanistan.
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Mr Sadiqi was among 10,000 asylum seekers – about one third of those held in Australia at the time - whose identities were revealed in a massive data breach by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection in February last year.
Their names, nationalities, arrival dates and other details were published on the department's website in a serious breach of privacy.
It raised grave concerns that those who had fled dangerous situations were exposed to an even greater risk.
Mr Sadiqi's worst fears were realised a few months later when he received a death threat on Facebook from a group purporting to be the Taliban. He believes they tracked him down using the leaked details.
Mr Sadiqi, a Hazara who lives in Brisbane, said the Taliban wrote: "you've gone to an infidel country so your killing is obligatory. As soon as you come back to Afghanistan you will be beheaded".
Frightened, he deleted the message and closed his Facebook account.
Mr Sadiqi, 31, fled Afghanistan after his family suffered religious persecution by the Taliban. He says he was bashed after refusing to join the group's fight against western troops, including Australia. Years earlier his father was murdered and his two brothers were kidnapped, and presumably killed.
He fled to Pakistan with his wife, children and other family members. Although Hazaras also face persecution in Pakistan, financial and other reasons meant his family was forced to remain there as he made the perilous boat journey to Australia. He arrived in 2010.
Mr Sadiqi has sought asylum and is on a bridging visa which expires on August 6. In a letter from immigration officials sighted by Fairfax Media, he was told the visa allowed him to stay in the community "while you make arrangements to depart Australia".
However the government is still assessing the extent to which Mr Sadiqi and other asylum seekers were affected by the data breach, and refugee advocates have questioned why he has apparently been ordered to leave before that process is complete.
Mr Sadiqi is suffering depression and said he cannot sleep at night.
"I feel terrible and I'm very scared. I'm afraid the government will take me in the middle of the night and send me back to Afghanistan. As soon as I arrive in Kabul I will get killed."
Mr Sadiqi recorded a video message for Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, pleading to be allowed to stay, which has been provided to Fairfax Media. A change.org petition calling for him to be granted asylum had garnered 20,000 names at the time of online publication.
Despite Mr Sadiqi apparently slated to leave Australia next month, a Department of Immigration and Border Protection spokesman said his assessment relating to the data breach was "under active consideration".
"Australia does not return asylum seekers to their countries of origin until all claims for protection have been fully considered," he said.
The spokesman said the department improved its information management after the data breach.
