Prisoners in all the compounds of Manus Island detention centre have staged a joint protest inside the detention centre.
Despite the rain, hundereds joined the protest in Manus, assembling in the area between Oscar and Delta compounds, raising slogans of “Freedom; Freedom,” and “This place is illegal”.
It was the biggest protest on Manus since the mass hunger strike of January 2015.
“We are determined to get our human rights. This protest shows that you can never defeat us and break our determination. All the prisoners are shouting to Australia that this place is illegal,” said asylum seeker, Behrouz Boochani, from the Manus detention centre.
“The situation at Manus Island detention centre is not tenable,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition, “The Supreme Court has ruled that the men must be freed but the Australian government is trying to keep them caged. This sort of situation cannot last long.
“The Turbull government is stalling trying to drag things out til after the election, but their offshore processing regime is collapsing.”
The protest on Manus co-incides with protests on Nauru marking day 55 of the continuing protests by asylum seekers in the family compound, RPC 3.
The Nauru protests have been inflamed by the recent suicide of Bangladeshi refugee, Rakib, and by the emergency medivac of Somali mother, Naima Ahmed and her baby in the early hours of Friday morning (13 May).
“The Minister for Misery, Peter Dutton, has tried again to blame advocates for the brutality of offshore detention, but the responsibility for the abuse that led to Rakib’s suicide and the medical negligence that put Naima and her baby’s life at risk, lies with Dutton himself,” said Rintoul.
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713
