Ruth Halbert
artist, weaver
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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.

Manus Island Timeline

21 November 2012
Manus Island reopened
Julia Gillard's Labor government reopens detention centre – not used since 2004 – and the first 19 asylum seekers arrive from Christmas island.

12 July 2013
Damning UN report
A UNHCR report finds every asylum seeker on Manus displays signs of anxiety and depression.

19 July 2013
'No chance of being settled in Australia'
New Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd announces people who seek asylum by boat will never be settled in Australia, with all sent to Manus or Nauru.

17 February 2014
Reza Barati dies
Three days of violence leaves 70 detainees seriously injured, with some shot by police, stabbed and with their throats slit. Iranian detainee Reza Barati is murdered after security guards inflict fatal head injuries during the riot.

5 September 2014
Hamid Kehazaei dies
Iranian Hamid Kehazaei dies after a delayed medical evacuation to Australia, as a treatable bacterial infection develops into septicaemia.

13 December 2015
Mass hunger strike
More than 500 men begin a two-week hunger strike in protest against conditions on the island. Two stitch their lips together, three swallow razor blades and collapsing strikers have to be forcibly removed by security.

21 July 2015
Healthcare failings revealed
A Guardian investigation reveals widespread failings in the healthcare services provided by IHMS in detention centres, including Manus Island.

27 August 2015
Rape allegation
A PNG woman employed by Transfield alleges she was raped by Australian colleagues inside the centre. The alleged perpetrators are flown out of the country.

26 April 2016
Supreme court rules Manus illegal
Papua New Guinea supreme court rules the detention centre is illegal and unconstitutional and must be closed.

17 August 2016
Manus to close
Australia confirms Manus detention centre will close but says none of the 854 men still there will be resettled in Australia.

24 December 2016
Faysal Ishak Ahmed dies
Sudanese refugee Faysal Ishak Ahmed dies after six months of suffering numerous blackouts, falls and seizures inside the detention centre.

15 May 2017
Services shut down
PNG immigration officials confirm the centre will close on 31 October, and tell detainees to 'consider their options'. Over the following months basic services are shut down around detainees, to encourage them to leave

14 June 2017
$70m compensation
The Australian government settles a class action, paying $70m compensation to more than 2,000 detainees for illegal detention and mistreatment, but denies any liability.

7 August 2017
Hamed Shamshiripour dies
Iranian asylum seeker Hamed Shamshiripour is found dead, having taken his own life. His friends say they pleaded with the Australian government to provide treatment for his mental health problems.

26 September 2017
First detainees flown to US
Twenty-five men leave Papua New Guinea for the US under a resettlement deal between Australia and the US. The total number to be transferred is still uncertain, with the US under no obligation to take a set amount.

2 October 2017
Sri Lankan refugee dies
A formally recognised refugee dies in Lorengau hospital.

23 October 2017
Detainees refuse to leave
A week before it's due to close, it’s revealed more than 600 detainees are refusing to leave the centre, citing fears for their safety in Lorengau.

 

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/nov/30/australias-offshore-detention-regime-is-a-brutal-and-obscene-piece-of-self-delusion

Ruth HalbertComment