Solidarity with Villawood detainees: detention kills

On Tuesday night there will be a solidarity gathering for Josefa Rauluni, who took his own life on Monday morning, as well as the detainees currently protesting on roof in Villawood. One of Josefa's relatives, also a detainee in Villawood, was placed in isolation and had his mobile phone confiscated. The solidarity gathering will be at the hub in Newtown from 6pm (Tuesday 21st September).

A group of 20 to 30 people went to Villawood on Monday night to show solidarity with the detainees after a Fijian man in the prison committed suicide and 10 Tamils were still on the roof protesting.

The group shouted "Our passion for freedom is stronger than their prisons" and played drums, occasionally going quiet to hear the chants of the detainees. Some people inside Villawood sent sms's saying that they could hear the group and that they were happy to hear some solidarity.

Other information from inside Villawood was that people had been beaten by guards because they had shown support for the rooftop protests.

No borders. No nations. No deportations!

Geography: 
Keywords: 

Comments

Glenda Kwek
September 21, 2010 - 10:03AM

One of 11 detainees protesting on the roof of Sydney's Villawood detention centre says the group would like to be handed over to the United Nations if their refugee claims are rejected.

Speaking to smh.com.au on a mobile phone, the detainee said: "We cannot imagine ourselves safe life [sic] back home in Sri Lanka."

The detainees, believed to be nine Sri Lankan Tamils, one Afghan and one Iraqi, climbed on to the centre's roof yesterday afternoon after a Fijian man fell to his death in front of other detainees just hours before he was due to be deported.

The detainee, who did not reveal his name, said the men wanted to be released from detention.

"If Australian officials cannot guarantee this protection, we ask them to hand us over to the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]," he said.

"We would also like this to be confirmed in writing."

He said: "It has come to this today because we have seen life lost and we believe that we have to do this in order to protect our lives."

It is understood that some of the men have had their refugee applications rejected.

"We would like to speak with an immigration officer," the detainee said.

Comment is being sought from the department.

Earlier, a department spokesman said: "They are quite calm, not aggravated - negotiating to have their cases here as opposed to threatening to jump off the roof.

"No one has jumped or is threatening to jump. There has been no substantial change overnight."

Also earlier, refugee advocate Sara Nathan said the asylum seekers were threatening to take their own lives rather than be deported.

This morning, the men appeared to be in heated negotiations with a group of people standing below.

At least one of the men appeared to have cut himself and smeared his blood on a banner with the words: "We need help and freedom."

Another banner on the roof read: "We are humans. Stop murder. Stop immigration. Crime."

The men endured a freezing night on the roof.

Ms Nathan said they had not eaten since 1pm yesterday.

"All they want is for their application to be [reviewed] by either the UNHCR or the Department of Immigration."

She said the Tamils were not given legal assistance when they lodged their refugee applications and believed the forms were not processed properly.

Ms Nathan said some of them have been in detention for more than a year.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hand-us-over-to-un-villawood-detainees-say-201...