Emergency picket/solidarity fast outside Australia House in London
Date: Wednesday 10 July
Venue: outside Australia House, The Strand, London, WC2
Temple, Charing Cross and Holborn tubes
Time: 5pm to 9pm
No food or drink apart from water
Bring banners and placards. Let as many people know as possible.
For more information and/or offers of support please contact Chilout! -
Children out of Detention
[log in to unmask]
--------------
Detainees at Woomera Detention Centre on hunger strike
On Monday 24 June up to 200 detainees in the Woomera Detention Centre
started a hunger strike in support of the about 85 Afghanis - many of whom
are Hazara - who are to be forcibly deported by the Minister of Immigration
unless they sign voluntary repatriation agreements. Detainees of Iranian
origin have also endorsed and are taking part in this strike, since they
fear they will be the next group chosen for forcible repatriation. The
hunger strikers have announced that many of them intend to fast until their
deaths.
Several children are also taking part in the hunger strike.
The detainees issued the following statement in support of their action:
"As humans we are privileged to liberty of life. The prejudiced
medieval-like policy should be eliminated in this 21st Century, which is not
suitable to give a developed and benevolent nation. In this camp the
persecution has approached the pinnacle of cruelty.
Australia is struggling against the people smugglers, but here once again,
we are deceived. We were deceived by the people smugglers from the dangerous
sea waves to here, and now, after being two years in this hell, we are once
again being smuggled by the Australian Immigration back to our hypocritical
governments."
Detainees at Woomera have already begun to collapse from the effects of the
hunger strike, and several have been carried away to be force-fed glucose
through an intravenous drip until they are able to hold themselves up
sufficiently to return to the ranks of hunger strikers, many of whom have
promised to fast to the death in their quest for release from mandatory
detention.
There have been several suicide attempts over the past week in conjunction
with the hunger strike.
Since a breakout at the camp last week, the Australian Government has locked
up the camp and not allowed anyone to enter it. Distressed hunger strikers
are not being taken to the Woomera township hospital. Instead, facilities
for dealing with them have been provided behind the locked gates.
Representatives of the Refugee Embassy based in Woomera have condemned the
extreme secrecy which has surrounded the detention centre since its
inception, but especially so at this time.
At the moment no visitors are being allowed inside the centre, and phone
lines have been cut, except for specially arranged communication with
selected representatives of the media. These calls must all be approved by
Department of Immigration officials.
A national day of fasting on behalf of asylum seekers in Australia has been
announced by refugee activists in Australia.
It will be on Monday, 8 July. All Australians who support a fair go for
Refugees are asked to go without food all day on Monday.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Note: The material contained in this communication comes to you from the
Forced Migration Discussion List which is moderated by the Refugee Studies
Centre (RSC), University of Oxford. It does not necessarily reflect the
views of the RSC or the University. If you re-print, copy, archive or
re-post this message please retain this disclaimer. Quotations or extracts
should include attribution to the original sources.
|