An Iranian asylum seeker who spent more than a decade in immigration detention across Australia has won a Federal Court challenge, ending his time in limbo after it was deemed unlawful and unconstitutional. The man, who legally changed his name to Ned Kelly Emeralds in a nod to the 19th century Australian outlaw, arrived in Australia by boat in 2013 and has been detained since. "This is basic freedom, it is something you and I share. I haven't had this for over ten years," he said on Thursday in a statement published by the Human Rights Law Centre. "I could not go home (to Iran), and the government chose not to release me. Nobody should be asked to choose between their life and their freedom." Mr Emeralds was not among the cohort of more than 140 detainees released by the Albanese government in recent weeks. His case is the first heard since the High Court ruled on November 8 that indefinite detention was unlawful. In 2021, the Federal Court ruled Mr Emeralds was to be placed in 'home detention' in Perth - in the residence of close friends - until the federal government resolved his status. But former coalition minister Karen Andrews exercised her personal powers to prevent him from being removed from Australia or housed with his friends. Australian Associated Press