As you may recall, over the weekend, comedian Russell Brand posted one of his typically fiery videos, taking aim at our nation’s refugee policy. Today, The Guardian report that a group of men detained on Manus Island have written to Brand, thanking him for drawing international attention to their plight.
“We are writing from Foxtrot Compound inside the Manus Island offshore detention centre,” the letter began. “Thank you for remembering us. Our voices are weak and nobody with any power listens to our friends and advocates. So for you to speak about us to such a wide audience is unique and heart-warming to us. Thank you so much.”
The letter details conditions within the facility, which “cannot even be compared with a strict military camp because so many of the basic human facilities found in military camps are unavailable.” They compared the facility to a “harsh prison, set in a remote and dangerous location, out of sight of the [Australian people] whose government sent us here.”
The letter also mentions the deaths of two detainees – Reza Berati, who was beaten in a riot, and Hamid Kehazaei, who died as a result of infection – and notes the forceful imprisonment of several of their number after a recent hunger strike. It also highlights the regular security sweeps at the facility, in which personal property is confiscated.
The men, who frequently write to world leaders, signed off their letter with a heartfelt thankyou to Brand. His video can be seen here:
