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.

Punished for their patience and good will

Dear Prime Minister,

I can hardly bear to address these letters, you have so demeaned and corrupted the office of Prime Minister. However, I started these letters with the aim of writing one for every person held in offshore detention or until all detainees are free and safe and so I will continue, while the graphic violence and torture on Manus Island and Nauru get worse day after day.

The refugees on Nauru have written a statement which includes this question:

“ABF [Australian Border Force], you say Nauru is responsible for us, but you make all of the decisions. For Nauru, we are a commodity in a ruined economy. Why do you want to punish us and hold us prisoners in a place where we are simply a means for people to earn an income, because their land was destroyed by your greed?”
— https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/nauru-refugees-%E2%80%98we-have-right-be-free-and-know-our-future%E2%80%99

Why do you punish desperate people who asked us for help, Prime Minister? 

corruption, dangerRuth HalbertNauru, ABFComment