Ruth Halbert
artist, weaver
Paper boat Rud.jpg

Blog: Dear Prime Minister

On July 30 2016 I started writing letters to the Prime Minister of Australia to protest against the imprisonment and torture of the asylum seekers in the offshore detention centres of Manus Island and Nauru. I started with the intention of writing a letter a day for every person in detention until they are all freed. There are more than 1800 asylum seekers in off shore detention. These are those letters and any response from Mr Turnbull.

For the 151st man on Manus Island

Dear Prime Minister,

‘In this prison there are no freedom’: a message message from a detainee on Nauru. International governments and human rights groups including Amnesty International, the UN and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised Australia’s poli…

‘In this prison there are no freedom’: a message message from a detainee on Nauru. International governments and human rights groups including Amnesty International, the UN and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised Australia’s policy of offshore detention.

Photograph: David T Young/Penny Ryan

In the letter I received from 'T.B', A/g Director ABF Ministerial Correspondence Section Support Group - Australia Border Force, dated 16.12.2016 and received 27.12.2016 he/she writes (in response to my letter of 25.10.2016 about the Four Corners program 'The Forgotten Children') 

Claims that the children have been "forgotten" are not supported by the facts. Independent oversight of these matters is provided by bodies including the UNHCR, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Commonwealth Ombudsman ...

This statement is a deliberate misunderstanding. It is you Prime Minister, Peter Dutton and your government who have forgotten the children and whose responsibility their torture and false imprisonment is. The organisations and agencies quoted by 'T.B.' have all condemned Australia's off shore detention regime and called for it to end immediately.

And so do the majority of Australians. Bring them here.

art, activismRuth Halbertthe confined hearts project, NauruComment