I thought, Oh my god this is really a jail
August 20, 2015 10:49 PM Subscribe
Behind the Wire is an oral history project documenting the stories of men, women and children who have experienced Australian mandatory detention over the past 22 years. It seeks to bring a new perspective to the public understandings of mandatory detention by sharing the reality of the people who have lived it.
"I wore a black shirt to my ceremony. There were some Liberal members of state parliament and the local council and some other people there. They said ‘Congratulations’. I said ‘Don’t think I’m a happy person to be here for this piece of paper you call citizenship. For this piece of paper I spent nine years of my life. Four and a half years in the detention centre, then carrying a huge bill on my shoulders, and now nine days ago I lost my sister.’ Some of my friends, plus my ex-wife were there and they said, ‘don’t say anything, don’t worry about it.’ I said, ‘No, they have to know, if you play games with people’s life, it’s really dangerous.’" - Ali Bakhtiarvandi
The story behind the initiative.
Previously
"I wore a black shirt to my ceremony. There were some Liberal members of state parliament and the local council and some other people there. They said ‘Congratulations’. I said ‘Don’t think I’m a happy person to be here for this piece of paper you call citizenship. For this piece of paper I spent nine years of my life. Four and a half years in the detention centre, then carrying a huge bill on my shoulders, and now nine days ago I lost my sister.’ Some of my friends, plus my ex-wife were there and they said, ‘don’t say anything, don’t worry about it.’ I said, ‘No, they have to know, if you play games with people’s life, it’s really dangerous.’" - Ali Bakhtiarvandi
The story behind the initiative.
Previously
There were some Liberal members of state parliament and the local council and some other people there.
Would like to make a note here for the unfamiliar: the Liberal National Party are right wing conservatives (and pushing xenophobia). I know. Everything is different here.
posted by adept256 at 11:49 PM on August 20, 2015
Would like to make a note here for the unfamiliar: the Liberal National Party are right wing conservatives (and pushing xenophobia). I know. Everything is different here.
posted by adept256 at 11:49 PM on August 20, 2015
Would like to make a note here for the unfamiliar: the Liberal National Party are right wing conservatives (and pushing xenophobia).
... though in the case of asylum seekers and mandatory detention, it's much of a muchness -- the ostensibly more left-wing Labor Party is just as culpable for locking asylum seekers up in off-shore detention.
posted by retrograde at 12:20 AM on August 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
... though in the case of asylum seekers and mandatory detention, it's much of a muchness -- the ostensibly more left-wing Labor Party is just as culpable for locking asylum seekers up in off-shore detention.
posted by retrograde at 12:20 AM on August 21, 2015 [5 favorites]
Detention, it’s a good thing, and bad thing, same time. The good thing, anybody he arrive in this country with no identity, with nothing, they should put him in detention, they should know where this person came from. Because he’s a stranger, like they have to do something about that. But not like this, years in detention, that’s so bad. Because you feel, the Australian Government, they don’t know who you are, but you know yourself, you haven’t done anything wrong. That’s why you start stress, because you just came to Australia to cover yourself, to protect.
Even Osama "OMG this is really a jail" concedes that it is a necessary process and he has as many positive things to say about the experience as negative:
"THEN I START TO LOVE THIS COUNTRY"
posted by three blind mice at 5:51 AM on August 21, 2015
Even Osama "OMG this is really a jail" concedes that it is a necessary process and he has as many positive things to say about the experience as negative:
"THEN I START TO LOVE THIS COUNTRY"
posted by three blind mice at 5:51 AM on August 21, 2015
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Refugee charged with Fortitude Valley rape may be deported
So much to rage about. I live in Brisbane - Fortitude Valley, in fact. I couldn't find a link but I've heard on the radio that one of the rape victims has been moved here for treatment. (ABC 612 Brisbane for the intrepid)
Oddly enough, I also lived in Nauru, in 1981, when I was too young to remember.
I feel thoroughly sick this is happening. And there's even debate about it! Like anyone could be confused about this.
previous grar
posted by adept256 at 11:33 PM on August 20, 2015 [1 favorite]