Immigration officers charged over bashing

Three Papua New Guinea Immigration officers who allegedly bashed and terrorised a refugee are expected to appear in a Manus Island court this week.

The trio were charged with assault on Friday, days after refugee Mohsen Sakhravi was punched several times in the face outside a hotel in Lorengau, the Manus capital.

After the bashing, Mr Sakhravi was allegedly forced to run in front of a car before being stopped and beaten again while returning to the Australian-funded transit centre in East Lorengau.

Mr Sakhravi's lawyer, Ben Lomai, told AAP his client was threatened with death and he was also refused medical treatment after the attack.

"Instead of taking him back to the East Lorengau transit centre, they started assaulting him," Mr Lomai said

"They told him - and it's in his statement - that he was threatened that `look, this is not your country and if you are going to do these kind of things here, we'll make sure you don't exist here.'"

The trio are expected in court this week.

Mr Sakhravi had gone to a local hotel for dinner with friends when, at about 9.30pm, a staff member told him immigration officers were waiting outside.

It is understood refugees are required to be back at their transit centre by dusk.

In early June pictures emerged on the ABC, taken soon after the attack, of the Iranian asylum seeker with bruises on his face and neck.

Mr Lomai said Mr Sakhravi has been nursing his wounds since last week.

"But he was refused to go to the clinic or hospital for treatment." he said.

In May PNG Prime minister Peter O'Neill said 129 asylum seekers housed at the Manus detention centre had been granted refugee status, while more than 400 had opted to return to their home countries.

Refugees yet to be resettled in PNG are being housed at the transit centre, which is about a 20 minute drive from the asylum seeker detention centre.