In what is some bloody fantastic news, the last eight refugees who were locked up in Melbourne’s Park Hotel have finally been released from detention.
According to the ABC, all eight men will be granted bridging visas so that they may stay in Australia. Well fuck, it’s the least you could do after ruining the lives of so many people by detaining them for so long.
Breaking : All of the refugees who were locked up in the Park prison & other refugees from different detention facilities who came through medevac are free! These hotels should never again be used to detain us!
We celebrate this day with everyone who has stood with us!#GameOver— Moz (Mostafa Azimitabar) (@AzimiMoz) April 7, 2022
Nine other people were also released from other facilities on Thursday morning, in addition to those given freedom from Park Hotel.
Six refugees were reportedly released from a Brisbane facility used to detain asylum seekers, while three individuals were released from the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation.
Now that the final eight refugees from Park Hotel are free, the place is finally fkn empty. Federal Government free the other refugees challenge.
“This is belated but welcome news, and their relief will be massive, but this is not the end of their story,” said Greens immigration spokesperson Nick McKim in a statement.
“That they are being released on the eve of an election is a deeply cynical move and it proves once again that their detention and torture were always a political decision.
“None of the people freed today, and none of the people in Australia who were exiled to Manus Island or Nauru nearly a decade ago, have permanent freedom or safety. This release leaves a small number of people who were transferred to Australia for medical reasons still in detention.
“There are no security concerns over any of these people and they should be freed immediately.”
I just heard everyone from Park Hotel detention is free! This is amazing news.
— Mehdi Ali (@MehdiAli98) April 7, 2022
“Park Hotel by the end of the day will be empty,” a spokesperson from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said on Thursday.
“There will likely be more releases of refugees from onshore detention today.
“We are still trying to confirm just how many people are being released as the government refuses to provide timely and transparent information to the public.”
We are still trying to confirm just how many people are being released.
As the Government refuses to provide timely and transparent information to the public.
— ASRC (@ASRC1) April 7, 2022
Up to 20 asylum seekers were released from immigration detention centres on April 2 including Mehdi Ali and Adnan Choopani, who were resettled in the United States.
However, the timing of all these releases is particularly suss. The Federal Government knows they must call an election sometime soon. It appears they would rather give their critics less to talk about going into what looks to be a hotly contested campaign.
“The worst part of the last remaining refugees at Park Hotel Prison being all freed today, is it being so blatantly clear that these bastards in the Morrison Government could have done this 9 years ago instead of destroying these men’s lives,” wrote ASRC founder and fkn legend Kon Karapanagiotidis.
“Never forget the cruelty is the point.”
The worst part of the last remaining refugees at Park Hotel Prison being all freed today, is it being so blatantly clear that these bastards in the Morrison Government could have done this 9 years ago instead of destroying these men’s lives
Never forget the cruelty is the point.
— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) April 7, 2022
The last eight men locked up at Melbourne’s Park Hotel after being Medevaced from offshore detention have been released. If they can be released now, why exactly was it “necessary” to incarcerate these men for so long? What was the point? (Rhetorical: we know the point)
— Bianca Hall (@_Biancah) April 7, 2022
Due to the timing, we can very likely conclude that the Morrison Government didn’t just decide to release these people from detention because it’s had a change of heart.
But hey, is anyone else really surprised by this? I’d be shocked to find out that Morrison had a single good bone in his damn body.
