Year in detention in Darwin for 15 refugees, with no end in sight
NEXT week marks a year since 15 refugees were flown to Darwin for medical reasons and since then the refugees have been kept in detention
Northern Territory
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NEXT week marks a year since 15 refugees were flown to Darwin for medical reasons from Nauru.
Since then the refugees, all from Iran bar one family that hails from Sri Lanka, have been kept in detention at a facility near the airport, with next to no medical treatment completed so far.
For the past few weeks Darwin advocates for the detained group have met each day at 5pm out the front of their facility which is attached to the Mercure Darwin Airport Resort. One refugee who did not want to be named, has been in detention since 2013 when she fled Iran for Australia with her husband.
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She was on a boat for three days before Border Force intercepted them, took them to Christmas Island, then to Nauru and now Darwin.
She said they did not know there were laws around entering Australia by boat when they made the journey.
“I had some problem with my government and because of my parents (who live in Sydney) I chose to come to Australia,” she said.
“I thought Australia cared about us but I was mistaken.”
She said since being in indefinite detention her mental health had suffered.
“I don’t know why they keep us here we don’t need any surgery,” she said.
“If I get out of here of course I would get better.
“I want to get out.”
She said it was even more frustrating that she could not be let out or moved to community detention in Sydney, as her parents lived there.
“My father is getting old and can’t come and visit us,” she said.
She said she had been approved to move to the United States, however continued to be kept in detention.
The refugee said the daily visit by Darwin locals had bolstered her spirits.
“I feel better because before I thought they forgot us,” she said.
The Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network has organised daily protests at the facility everyday for the past few weeks.
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Yesterday they gathered again and attempted to celebrate one of the detainees’ birthday.
“We have banners and sing. They feel better just to know that they have support,” one DASSAN advocate who did not want to be named said.
“We will just carry on doing it until they are out.”
She said they were pushing for the detainees to be given community detention, which would give them more freedom and help them to ingrain into society.
‘To have them in community detention would be way cheaper,” the advocate said. Supporters meet every day at 5pm at the Mercure.
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