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.

End offshore detention. Close the camps.

Dear Prime Minister,

Red Cross have seen Azzam el Sheikh in Port Moresby's Bomana gaol and requested to the prison Commander that he be taken to hospital immediately. He was beaten up in Lorengau gaol by the order of an Australian man in plain clothes and has been untreated and not even showered for 26 days. His 'offence'? He refused Australia's offer of cash to return to Lebanon and asked for a review of his refugee status, as is his legal right.

When I rang Peter Dutton's office about Azzam I was told I was invading Azzam's privacy.  Whose interest is this privacy? Not Azzam's. Behind the privacy screen it seems that Australia feels free to be more brutal and callous than can be believed possible.

Close the camps and bring them here.

corruption, dangerRuth HalbertAzzam el Sheikh, Manus Island, torture, refoulement, refugees, illegal detentionComment