Australia's top cop has been grilled over the arrest of a protester outside the Iranian Embassy in Canberra, which left him with a number of fractured bones.
Australian Federal Police commissioner Reece Kershaw said the police force's internal integrity unit was still in the process of investigating the claims, after it was referred to the internal integrity unit following media reports.
The Canberra Times first reported Melbourne man Hamid Sotounzadeh was arrested by Protective Service Officers outside the embassy on Thursday morning.
Footage of the incident shows Mr Sotounzadeh in a heated exchange with an AFP officer before being pushed down. He is later seen lying on the ground.
Mr Sotounzadeh told The Canberra Times he could not breathe, lost consciousness and was being kicked during his arrest.
He was later released by federal police and taken to Canberra Hospital, where he currently remains with several fractures in his rib cage, neck and back.
The incident has been referred to the Australian Federal Police's internal integrity unit, Professional Standards, for investigation.
During Senate estimates on Monday night, Greens senator David Shoebridge questioned Mr Kershaw on the "violent arrest" of Mr Sotounzadeh and the injuries he said he sustained during the arrest.
"At this stage, we have spoken with him and we'll be speaking with him again later this week and I would not mention any of those things you've just mentioned to me, pending our possible statement of complaint from him," Mr Kershaw said.
Assistant commissioner Lesa Gale said the investigation is in "the process of determining the veracity" of what happened on Thursday morning.
"As a result of us determining what actually happened, we have referred the matter to our professional standards in order for the full circumstances of what happened," Ms Gale said.
In the 10-minute-long heated conversation between Senator Shoebridge and the AFP, the Greens senator questioned the commissioner about what kind of internal investigation was being conducted.
"We're not going to jump and say this has occurred when we have not collected all of that evidence and all of those facts. That includes taking witness statements, video footage, forensics, a whole lot of analytical work that goes on with any criminal investigation," Mr Kershaw said.
"This is an internal investigation is not a criminal investigation of Hamid's activities. The investigation is a bureaucratic investigation of the functions and the behaviour of the police," Senator Shoebridge said in response.
"I know he is in hospital as a result of the violence that was inflicted upon him in the arrest and if you don't know that, then we have a deeply troubling deficit of information on your side of the desk, commissioner."
Mr Kershaw disagreed with Senator Shoebridge and would not go into the investigation he said was ongoing.
Senator Shoebridge attempted to ascertain if the the investigation is into the potential misconduct AFP officers during Mr Sotounzadeh's arrest.
"Our investigation is in relation to the facts of the entire matter from the beginning to the end," Mr Kershaw said in response.
"I think we can jump to this conclusion. He was peacefully protesting. He was arrested by one of your officers and he's found himself in hospital with broken ribs and fractured vertebrae. I think we can jump to the conclusion that it was a violent arrest, don't you?" Senator Shoebridge asked again.
"That's your view, that's your opinion based on your limited knowledge," Mr Kershaw responded.
Mr Sotounzadeh is still in Canberra Hospital, where he says he can not move out of bed and requires a wheelchair and is in a significant amount of pain.
