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New QLD Government must adopt strong youth justice agenda

The incoming Queensland Government must have a strong youth justice agenda that supports children to thrive in their communities, not be separated from their families in children’s prisons, said Amnesty International today, as it released ‘A Human Rights Agenda For The Next Qld State Government’.

The Human Rights Agenda is an 11-point plan for the incoming government to support Queensland children and families and ensure children’s rights are protected.

The Agenda is particularly relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who are 27 times more likely to be locked up than non-Indigenous children in Queensland. This is a higher rate of over-representation than the Australian average. Queensland imprisons children as young as 10 years old.

Children reaching their potential

“Whatever their political views, one thing all Queenslanders surely must agree on is that children must be supported to meet their potential,” said Roxanne Moore, Indigenous Rights Campaigner at Amnesty International Australia. “But that isn’t happening for children being abused in harsh prison conditions, away from their families.”

“By adopting the Human Rights Agenda for Queensland, the incoming Government will take a courageous and significant step towards protecting the rights of children in Queensland, especially Indigenous children.”

Paul Toner, Queensland Branch President for Amnesty International Australia, said, “Protecting Queensland kids’ safety and hopes for their futures must be top priority for all candidates in the Queensland election. For too long, politicians have been putting children’s safety at risk with brutal, outdated punishment-based policies, that have been proven again and again not to work.”

The Agenda also calls for Queensland to adopt a Human Rights Act, to protect the rights of all Queenslanders.

Some of the points in the Human Rights agenda include:

*Queensland should adopt a Human Rights Act, which would enable the incoming Queensland Government to protect the human rights of all people in Queensland. It would legislate rights and obligations, promote a rights-based culture within our society, and help to foster fairer and more inclusive communities.

*The incoming Government must support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and communities to stay strong and together through funding holistic, Indigenous-run family support and services.

*The new Government must raise the age of criminal responsibility to at least 12 years, and preferably to 14 years in line with international standards. Locking up kids as young as 10 is damaging for their development, places severe limitations on them reaching their potential and is a clear breach of international law. In addition, 17-year-olds must be immediately moved out of adult prisons, in line with legislation passed by Parliament.

*The incoming Government must end the abuse of children in prison and improve care facilities by committing to quickly implementing all recommendations of this year’s Independent Review into Children in Queensland Detention. This includes establishing an independent inspector of custodial services, one that is separate to government and in line with the United Nations Optional Protocol of the Convention against Torture.

*The new Government should continue to support and expand community-led justice reinvestment projects in Queensland. Justice reinvestment is an approach that shifts money away from building and running more prisons, and into those communities where people are needing the most support in their lives, so that they don’t commit offences in the first place.

These programs and services would include those designed and run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

*The new Government should stop locking up children who haven’t yet been tried or sentenced. Queensland’s remand rates for kids are the highest in Australia, but these kids should not be in prison.

The full 11-point agenda is available here .

Authorities in PNG must allow aid in, must not use force to move refugees out

In response to a notice issued by Papua New Guinea (PNG) authorities on Thursday morning at the Lombrum refugee detention centre on Manus Island stating that refugees must leave the centre by 11 November or be forcibly removed, Amnesty International said:

“It is imperative that the PNG and Australian authorities immediately allow aid into the camp, and that they do not respond to the worsening conditions in the Lombrum detention centre by attempting to forcibly move the refugees to other locations,” said Kate Schuetze, Amnesty International’s Pacific Researcher.

“Any use of force in this highly charged environment is likely to lead to serious injury or loss of life.”

“Any use of force in this highly charged environment is likely to lead to serious injury or loss of life.”

Amnesty International researchers have just returned from Manus Island where they witnessed first-hand the shocking conditions at the centre.

“This is a man-made crisis. It is the Australian and PNG governments who have left the men without food, clean water, proper sanitation or electricity. They cannot, having created the situation, now compound it by sending in security forces to force the refugees to move,” said Kate Schuetze.

“There is a solution to what we are seeing inside the camp – immediately allow humanitarian assistance in to restore access to food, water, electricity and health care. This is the only option that would be compatible with international human rights law at this point.”

Amnesty International has long called for the camp on Manus Island to be closed and the refugees brought to safety in Australia. What has happened is closure of one camp, and opening another, in a location where the refugees would be even less safe.

The approximately 600 men in Lombrum have been forced to choose between fundamental necessities of survival or a move to a place where they face the risk of violent attacks from some elements of the local population and years more in detention-like conditions.

With all services cut off the situation has, predictably, deteriorated badly in the camp. Unless services are restored people will become ill and deaths are a real possibility. Already several refugees have been taken ill in the deplorable conditions at Lombrum. At the weekend one man with a heart condition collapsed and medical aid took several hours to arrive.

Amnesty International is concerned that the authorities will use the shocking footage as a pretext to send in security forces and forcibly move the refugees to new locations.

“We are putting the governments of PNG and Australia on notice: using force will almost inevitably lead to serious human rights violations. The consequences of any such decision are foreseeable and it would be a grave matter if the authorities took any action that could result in serious injury or deaths,” said Kate Schuetze.

“There is a clear, alternative, course of action. Services must be restored until a safe and dignified solution to the situation is agreed, one that respect the rights of the refugees.”

The decision by PNG and Australia to cut off all services at Lombrum appears to have been calculated to force the refugees to move to new locations. However, the refugees have told Amnesty International they are determined not to move because they fear for their safety in the new sites. Amnesty International’s research confirms their fears are well-founded.

Refugees have been attacked and seriously injured by some members of the local population who have made clear they do not want the men on PNG. Refugees have little or no protection from these attacks except to live inside detention centres.

“Deliberately denying refugees food and water in a context where they cannot support themselves in order to coerce them to move is a serious violation of their human rights. This is cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment,” said Kate Schuetze.

“Australia could also end the crisis by immediately bringing the refugees and vulnerable men to Australia, where they first sought protection.”

Shining a light on the best and worst of humanity

I have just spent a week in Greece and Italy — two countries that have become the gateways to Europe for refugees and people seeking asylum.

What I and other members of Amnesty’s delegation witnessed was not for the faint-hearted.

On Lesbos we saw thousands and thousands of life jackets, many of which were fake, which dragged children, women and men under the water to their deaths. Each life jacket, rubber ring, and remnant of a dingy tells somebody’s story. They are symbols of the tens of thousands of refugees who have fled the war and horrors of Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, and of shattered hopes and dreams. They are also symbols of the failure of the international community to comply with human rights law and the failure of wealthy countries to protect vulnerable women, children and men.

Kosta is a fisherman, who for months gave up fishing to save thousands of people who crossed the sea from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos. Alongside his fellow villagers, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as the community saved and helped 800,000 people in five months.

Kosta with remnants of life jackets — many fake — used by asylum seekers trying to reach safety. © AI

The men, women and children had fled places like Aleppo. They had walked through Iran, Macedonia and the Balkans.

When Hungary closed its borders, their journeys became more difficult and dangerous; they had to go via Turkey to take a boat journey to Greece. I heard of a young Syrian man who carried a Kurd who was 100 years old on his back.

The night I arrived in Lesbos, one boat was intercepted with 89 people on board. The boat numbers are significantly down since 2015, but people are still arriving daily.

The European Union’s response to arrivals has a horribly familiar feel to it. They closed borders and have paid a third country — Turkey — to deal with their responsibilities.

Incredible journeys and makeshift camps

This had led to 50,000 people held in limbo on mainland Greece in makeshift camps, warehouses and shipping containers. There are also thousands in camps on Greek Islands including over 5,000 people in Moria Camp in Lesbos.

Just like on Manus Island and Nauru, the conditions in Moria camp are substandard, inhumane and depressing. It is very overcrowded.

I met families living in tents and sleeping on concrete, including pregnant women and women with serious illnesses like cancer. The hygiene and sanitation is dire, and the smell of sewerage hits you as you approach the camp.

The camp managers told us that almost 3,000 of the people there had been classified as vulnerable and that the sewerage, water and infrastructure wasn’t up to the job. They admitted that the “bigger tents” that were meant for a maximum of eight people had 15 people stuffed into them, and that the shipping containers often had over 20 people sleeping in them.

Alongside the toilet and bathroom sanitation horrors, other major issues at Moria include a lack of privacy and under-resources medical support. I met children in desperate need of a dentist and heavily pregnant women with little or no support. An elderly man who had lost his foot in Afghanistan had been given paracetamol for pain management. The demand for mental health support far exceeded what was available.

The camp is also not ready for the approaching winter. This is very concerning, as a number of people died in the camp last winter due to the cold.

I heard from a number of families who had fled Afghanistan as well as a Yezidi family. One family told me their heartbreaking story of fleeing Afghanistan, living in Iran until their money ran out, and then journeying to Turkey before heading on to Lesbos.

At the camp they are registered and finger-printed. Some had been there just one night, and others 18 months. Many had seen family members killed or had been split up during the journey.

People were confused as to why they were being held in the camp and very stressed about what was going to happen to them.

Recurring words from everyone I met at Moria were “We just want a peaceful life”, “We want to be safe” and “The bathrooms are a disaster”.

Back in Athens

Over 40,000 refugees and asylum seekers are living in mainland Greece scattered in camps, flats and squats.

We visited Thiva camp — a new camp opened in June this year — 90 minutes north of Athens. It’s sobering that after visiting the Moria camp, families living in shipping containers seems like an improvement. In Thiva, families had their own front door, bathroom and a cooker which meant they felt safe and had some control over their lives.

It’s also a major step forward from living in the Elliniko camps that were unfit to live in and were closed thanks to Amnesty’s work.

We met a lovely family who welcomed us with typical Afghani hospitality — sweets, homemade bread, nuts and hot tea. Despite having hardly anything, what they had they shared. They were very excited to be able to prepare their own food again.

The last part of our Greece trip was to meet a family living in a small flat in Athens. There, we met a mother who had made the long journey with her children to Greece from Afghanistan via Iran, Macedonia and Turkey. Her horrendous journey included walking thousands of kilometres in the Balkan winter with snow halfway up her legs, walking past dead bodies in the mountains and daily abuse from people smugglers.

She got separated from her sons en route. Thankfully, her son managed to get to Germany and soon the family were able to be reunited, because Germany has said #IWelcome and granted a humanitarian visa.

Next stop, Italy!

Manus Island: Court ruling jeopardises lives

The current situation on Manus Island amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment
Lives are at risk unless PNG authorities restore essential services
As Australia continues to flout international law, all refugees and vulnerable persons should be resettled to third countries

Critical services – including food, water and medical treatment – must be restored to the more than 600 refugees and vulnerable men inside the Lombrum detention centre on Manus Island before a major tragedy occurs, Amnesty International said today as researchers returned from Manus Island.

Refugees and vulnerable men should not be forcibly relocated until such time as their dignity and safety can be guaranteed.

“Today, Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court rejected a last ditch attempt by refugees to have these essential services restored and their rights protected. The decision is an abhorrent attack on the right to life,” said Kate Schuetze, Amnesty International’s Pacific Researcher.

“If authorities don’t act immediately, there is a real risk that the situation will catastrophically deteriorate. The lives of these men, who are only asking for their rights to dignity and safety, are at serious risk.”

“In 2013, when I first visited the detention centre on Manus Island a number of refugees described conditions as a ‘psychological war’ designed to break people mentally. Four years later, cruel tactics are still being used to pressure on refugees to relocate or settle in PNG. The situation has deteriorated to a point of utter despair.”

Amnesty International researchers witnessed an emerging catastrophe when they visited Papua New Guinea (PNG) from 27 October to 7 November. The current situation on Manus Island amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, a violation of the UN Convention against Torture.

“This is the third time I have visited Manus Island, but what we witnessed there over the past week shocked me to the core. This is a desperate situation on the brink of a catastrophe,” said Kate Schuetze.

“That the Australian and PNG authorities have created such a crisis, leaving vulnerable refugees who sought Australia’s protection in such a desperate situation is callous, cruel and completely disgraceful.”

“That the Australian and PNG authorities have created such a crisis, leaving vulnerable refugees who sought Australia’s protection in such a desperate situation is callous, cruel and completely disgraceful.” – Kate Schuetze

“There must be an immediate resolution to this crisis. Services must be restored, and the refugees must be supported at the centre until they can move to a place of safety and dignity.”

The men have refused to move to new locations because of violent attacks against them which the authorities have failed to prevent. Approximately 600 refugees and vulnerable men remaining in the detention centre have had limited access to food water and medical care since services were withdrawn on 31 October. Attempts to deliver food to the centre have been actively blocked by the PNG authorities.

“Forcing these men to choose between food, water and medicine or moving to a place where they have a well-founded fear of violence and other attacks against them amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment,” said Kate Schuetze.

“Forcing these men to choose between food, water and medicine or moving to a place where they have a well-founded fear of violence and other attacks against them amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.” – Kate Schuetze.

“Papua New Guinea is not an appropriate place to settle vulnerable people who have fled persecution and came seeking safety and Australia’s protection. The country does not have the systems in place to enable a safe and dignified life for the refugees, and local people have made it clear they want the men to go to Australia.”

Amnesty International has long called for the Australian Government to end the offshore processing and to bring the men to Australia and fulfil its obligation under international law to process their refugee claims. This remains Australia’s responsibility.

However, as Australia seems determined to ignore and show contempt for the law, Amnesty International is now calling for other countries to resettle the men from PNG.

“This flagrant breach of Australia’s legal and moral responsibility is unacceptable. As the government seems intent on reneging on all its international obligations, we now have to look to other countries to help take in the men, and offer them safety, dignity and a future.” – Kate Schuetze.

“This flagrant breach of Australia’s legal and moral responsibility is unacceptable. As the government seems intent on reneging on all its international obligations, we now have to look to other countries to help take in the men, and offer them safety, dignity and a future,” said Kate Schuetze.

Australia must facilitate, and not obstruct resettlement to third countries. New Zealand, for example, has repeatedly offered protection to refugees on Manus Island but been blocked by Australia.

Lives endangered

The health of refugees is at risk from a lack of clean drinking water and poor sanitation with conditions rapidly deteriorating each day. The men are also without electricity in the stifling tropical heat.

There is no medical care available to the men at the centre and it is not clear if any help will be forthcoming if there is a medical emergency.

In the past 10 days, while Amnesty International was in Papua New Guinea, refugees reported three medical emergencies. In one case, a refugee who has epilepsy, had a fit and was unconscious for several hours. Refugees called to guards to provide medical assistance but there was no response. In another incident, a refugee self-harmed and, while physically stable, he remained in a fragile mental state, supported only by his friends.

On the evening of 4 November, a refugee with a known heart condition collapsed. Refugees called an emergency number for assistance, but no one answered. PNG Police, who were flagged down in a vehicle outside the centre, refused to provide assistance. After more than four hours, he was taken to Lorengau Hospital, but no specialist cardiac care was available. While he was later discharged, he remains at risk of further medical complications. The denial of medical care, in itself, may amount torture under international law.

There is also deep concern that as people start to run out of medication, the situation will become more serious – possibly endangering lives of refugees. Many refugees are already suffering from chronic mental health issues as a result of their prolonged detention and uncertainty about their future.

From one centre of abuse to another

The current situation stems from Australia’s decision to move the refugees from one centre to another, even though this does nothing whatsoever to address the fundamental problems of Australia’s harmful refugee policies or remedy the illegality of these practices.

There is no clear plan for the settlement of refugees in a safe country and the prolonged uncertainty remains. The refugees’ continue to have an inability to work or move around freely, and have strong concern for their safety. The move to the new locations, if anything, exacerbates the risks to the refugees who live in fear of attacks by some elements in the local population who have made clear they do not want the refugees in PNG.

Amnesty International’s research confirms that refugee fears for their safety, should they be forced to move closer to town, are well founded. One Bangladeshi refugee told us of an incident in Lorengau four months ago, when he was robbed, assaulted and attacked with a machete in broad daylight. He received stitches to the wound and has been left with a long scar on his elbow which is still swollen and continues to give him pain. We were told of other cases where refugees have been robbed or assaulted in town, fuelling widespread fear.

“The Papua New Guinean and Australian authorities must ensure there is no attempt to forcibly move the refugees and immediately restore food, water and electricity and allow health care workers access to the refugees. There must be clear and prompt plans to move refugees and vulnerable men to countries where they can be safely resettled and ensure a fair process for their claim for international protection,” said Kate Schuetze.

Background

Around 600 refugees remain in the refugee detention centre on the Navy Base in Lombrum on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG), after service providers pulled out on 31 October.

The men were all forcibly transferred to PNG by the government of Australia after they tried to seek asylum in Australia. Most have been there for four and a half years.

On 31 October, the Refugee Processing Centre (RPC) which had been run by private companies under contract to the government of Australia withdrew from the centre, and the refugees were told to move to other locations on the island. Refugees told Amnesty International, that services were gradually cut in the weeks before 31 October, highlighting a pattern of both coercion and intimidation aimed at encouraging them to move. This included actions such as removing the gym, removing a points-based shop that could be used to buy phone credit and other personal items, removing power from Foxtrot compound, reducing the number of bus services to town.

In addition, refugees said that regular notices were posted within the centre stating that the PNG Defence Force would take over the facility on 1 November. Refugees felt these notices were intimidating because of an event in April, where soldiers fired shots into the centre, endangering the lives of refugees, officials and contractors at the centre.

Amnesty International visited the site of all the centres and observed a heavy private security presence by Paladin, a PNG based security company. While many of the 600 men are recognised as refugees, some have had their claim for asylum denied.

Amnesty International does not consider that the process for assessing claims for asylum has been robust enough and all of the men – those with official refugee status and those whose claims were denied – are highly vulnerable. All of them must be removed from PNG to places where they are safe. Those with refugee status must be resettled but those whose claims were denied on PNG must have access to fair processes to challenge the decisions made on their claims and protections must be in place to ensure they are not returned where there is a real risk of serious human rights violations.

The United States reached an agreement with the government of Australia to resettle some of the refugees trapped on Nauru and Manus Island. However, it seems unlikely the US will take all of the men on Manus, and other countries that can offer safety to refugees must now help.

In addition, Papua New Guineans have voiced concerns about the lack of consultation for the proposed relocation and lack of adequate facilities to support refugees in the remote island community. They have called on Australia to accept its responsibility for refugees it forcibly sent to the country.

Paradise Papers: Time for action on grand-scale tax abuse

Governments must take urgent steps to crack down on tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance by wealthy individuals and companies, Amnesty International said today, after the leaked Paradise Papers shed new light on the murky dealings of the offshore financial industry.

“When people do not pay their fair share of tax, it’s the poor who suffer the most. At a time when governments around the world are slashing spending on health, education, housing and welfare support, it’s shameful that so many wealthy individuals and companies are being allowed to stow away billions of dollars in tax havens,” said Iain Byrne, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Advisor at Amnesty International.

“Governments must do more to stop tax havens – and the accountants, lawyers and consultants who work in them – from aiding and abetting this grand-scale tax abuse. We’ve heard too many empty promises. The time has come for action.

“Tax evasion and avoidance deprives governments of much of the revenue they need to guarantee the economic and social rights that they are legally bound to deliver on. These include rights to the goods and services that everybody should be able to enjoy to lead a dignified life, such as a decent place to live, essential healthcare and education, and adequate welfare support.

“The appalling revelations in these papers, and the ensuing outcry, should prompt the international community to urgently look at finding global solutions to tax abuse, and at ways of holding those responsible to account.

“We owe it to the world’s most vulnerable people to make sure the richest individuals and most powerful corporations pay their way.”

Background

The Paradise Papers contain details of the offshore financial affairs of hundreds of politicians, celebrities, wealthy individuals and multi-national companies contained in a trove of 13.4 million leaked documents.

The documents were initially leaked to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The paper then contacted the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to oversee an investigation involving 96 media partners, including the BBC, the Guardian and the New York Times. More revelations are due to be published in the next few days.

5 things about Indigenous history you probably didn’t learn in school

It’s no secret that ongoing dispossession and racism contribute to huge gaps in the health, life expectancy and imprisonment rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

At a time when states and territories across Australia are locking up kids as young as 10, it’s more important than ever that our schools recognise the diversity, ingenuity and excellence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Here we explore some of the interesting, humbling and downright inspiring facts whitewashed from our history lessons.

1. You learnt about the First Fleet. You didn’t learn about Indigenous settlements.

Early explorers described Indigenous villages, irrigation systems, agriculture and grain harvest right across Australia. 30,000 year-old grindstones have been found near Walgett, NSW, and ancient stone fish traps at Brewarrina, NSW may be the oldest man-made structures on earth. And today at Budj Bim, Victoria, you can visit the remains of stone houses and an aquaculture system that pre-date Egypt’s pyramids by at least 4,000 years.

2. You learnt about Matthew Flinders. You didn’t learn about Aboriginal international trade connections.

Well before British invasion, Yolngu and other Aboriginal groups exchanged goods, ideas and culture with Macassan sailors from what is now Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Macassans arrived in search of sea cucumber (trepang) to trade in China. In 1803 when Matthew Flinders was circumnavigating the country he met a Macassan fishermen who told Flinders he had been harvesting trepang on the northern shores of Australia for 20 years. This story lives on in the ceremony and language of Yolngu.

Three Indigenous people silhouetted at sunset by the ocean — © Ingetje Tadros / AI

3. You learnt how to play Aussie Rules Football. You didn’t learn about Marngrook.

Though it is still disputed by the AFL, Marngrook – a game played by Aboriginal groups across southern Australia – almost certainly influenced Australian rules football.

The ‘Protector of Aborigines’ and author William Thomas wrote about an Aboriginal football match played at Pound Bend, Victoria, in 1852. Thomas wrote that the players kicked the possum-skin ball high with the instep of the foot and “leap as high as five feet or more from the ground to catch the ball”.

Tom Wills, credited as one of the founders of Aussie rules, lived in the Grampians (Gariwerd) as a young man. He reportedly grew up surrounded by Djab wurrung children, learnt their language fluently and played Marngrook with them. Check out this interview with Gunditjmara woman Titta Secombe who has written a kids book about Marngrook.

4. You learnt about cowboys and Indians. You didn’t learn about Aboriginal resistance leaders.

In the late 19th century, Jandamarra and the Bunuba People resisted the violent encroachment of squatters onto their country in the Kimberley. Jandamarra had been a talented police tracker, but his people were being shot and poisoned and the survivors were being enslaved around him.

“Jandamarra died on his own soil defending his country. A true Australian hero.”

Paul Kelly, singer/songwriter

When he rose up and rebelled against the police, he brought to his Bunuba compatriots the knowledge and tactics to fight the settlers on their own terms and waged a war of resistance against British invaders. As Bunuba leader June Oscar puts it: “Jandamarra is a unifying figure – a champion of justice who can be admired by all Australians.”

5. You learnt about the suffragette and civil rights movement. You didn’t learn about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander civil rights movement.

It wasn’t until the federal election in 1963 that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults were able to vote – more than 50 years after Australian women got that right.

This was the year Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream” speech. At the same time in Australia, there was a growing movement of Indigenous activists and supporters demanding civil rights.

There are too many key moments in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander human rights struggle to adequately cover here. But the Yirrkala Bark Petition, Freedom Rides, Wave Hill Walk-Off and 10-year campaign leading to the 1967 referendum are all major moments in the 1960s.

Thailand: Defamation charges dropped against Amnesty International chairperson and two others

Responding to news that the Pattani Provincial Prosecutor will formally end the criminal defamation case against an Amnesty International Thailand chairperson, Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, and two other human rights activists, Somchai Homla-or and Anchana Heemmina, James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Director of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said:

“While it is heartening that the charges against three brave human rights defenders have finally been dropped, the fact is they should never have been brought in the first place. Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Somchai Homla-or and Anchana Heemmina did nothing but stand up, peacefully, for the rights of others, and it is outrageous to think they could have faced jail time simply for exposing torture by the military.

“Thailand needs to take seriously its responsibility to create an environment in which human rights defenders can carry out their work without fear of retaliation. All charges must be dropped against those who are imprisoned or facing criminal proceedings merely for exercising their human rights peacefully.

“The Thai government must also immediately decriminalise defamation, as these laws are often used to prosecute those reporting torture and other rights violations. Even if a case does not go to trial, the filing of criminal complaints and charges are a potent form of harassment that has a chilling effect on freedom of expression.”

Background

In February 2016, Cross-Cultural Foundation and Duay Jai (Hearty Support) Group published a joint report documenting 54 cases of torture and other ill-treatment by the Royal Thai Police and Royal Thai Army in Thailand’s southern provinces.

On 17 May 2016, the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, which is responsible for security operations in the area, initiated criminal defamation and computer crimes charges against the three human rights defenders, who edited the report. In March 2017, after significant campaigning by Amnesty International and other human rights organisations, military officials stated that they would withdraw the charges. However, only the criminal defamation charges were withdrawn at that time.

In recent years, Thai authorities have targeted many activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and other members of Thailand’s civil society as part of a systematic crackdown on government critics.

Winners of the 2017 Amnesty International Australia Media Awards announced

The winners of Amnesty International Australia’s 2017 Media Awards have been announced, recognising excellence in reporting on human rights issues in the Australian media over the past year.

The winners are as follows:

Cartoon:

Winner: ‘Low-cost Housing, London’: Cathy Wilcox, The Age & The Sydney Morning Herald.

Other finalists:

‘Long Way Round’: Andrew Dyson, The Age;

‘Us and Them’: Glen Le Lievre, Crikey;

‘Reforming Racial Discrimination Laws’: Andrew Weldon, The Big Issue

Judges:

Judy Horacek: Freelance – Cartoonist

Mick Horne: Freelance – Cartoonist

David Pope: The Canberra Times – Cartoonist

Indigenous Issues Reporting:

Winner: ‘The Ms Dhu Inquest’: Calla Wahlquist, The Guardian.

Other finalists:

‘Death In Kalgoorlie’: Sarah Dingle and Wendy Carlisle, ABC Radio National, Background Briefing;

‘Through American Eyes’: John Eligon, Suzanne Smith, Gregory Nelson, Diana Cave, Ron Foley, Alastair Harris, Vicky Biorac, Chelsea Bond, Damien Cave, Tim Leslie, ABC and New York Times;

‘Aviation fuel sniffing in Arnhem Land sparks public health emergency’: Jano Gibson, ABC

Judges:

Daniel Browning: Awaye! (ABC RN) – Presenter

Tanya Denning Orman: NITV – Channel Manager

Bernard Namok: TEABBA (Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasting Association) – Senior broadcaster/trainer

Photography:

Winner: ‘Mosul’: Kate Geraghty, Fairfax Media

Other finalists:

‘Home[Less]’: Chris Hopkins, The Sunday Age

Judges:

Neil Bennett: The Daily and Sunday Telegraph – Head of Vision

Mags King: Fairfax – Managing Editor of Photography

Dean Sewell: Freelance – Photographer & founding Member of Occuli

Print/Online/Multimedia:

Winner: ‘Voice of Manus’: Behrouz Boochani, The Guardian & The Saturday Paper

Other finalists:

‘In a time of plenty, she dies of hunger’: Sally Sara and Dingani Masuku, ABC News Online;

‘The Nauru Files’: Guardian Australia’s Nauru Files reporting team, The Guardian;

‘Migrant worker exploitation: the fruit pickers’: Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker, Fairfax Media

Judges:

Danielle Cronin: The Brisbane Times – Editor

Melissa Hoyer: News.com.au – Editor at Large

Lenore Taylor: Guardian Australia – Editor

Radio:

Winner: ‘Death In Kalgoorlie’: Sarah Dingle and Wendy Carlisle, ABC Radio National, Background Briefing.

Other finalists:

‘Fallen Angels’: Heather Jarvi, Margaret Simons, Dave Tacon and Lyn Gallacher, ABC Radio National, Earshot;

‘Exploitation of Vietnamese students rampant among Melbourne and Sydney businesses’: Trinh Nguyen and Olivia (Ngoc) Nguyen, SBS Radio – Vietnamese Program;

‘Somaliland Children’: Sally Sara and Dingani Masuku, ABC radio, Correspondents Report

Judges:

Andrew Bolton: SBS Arabic 24 – Program Manager

Patricia Karvelas: ABC Radio National – Presenter

Melanie Withnall: CBAA (Community Broadcasting Association of Australia) – board member; 2SER Station Manager

Television:

Winner: ‘Forced to Marry’: Elise Potaka, Tim Anastasi, Joel Stillone, “The Feed”, SBS Viceland.

Other finalists:

‘From Miscarriage to Murder’: Evan Williams, Calliste Weitenberg, Lottie Gammon and Micah McGown, SBS, Dateline;

‘The Yazidi – People of the Peacock Angel’: Olivia Rousset, Ipek Tasli, Wendy Boynton and Danielle Akayan, ABC TV, Compass;

‘Six Days in Somaliland’: Sally Sara and Dingani Masuku, ABC News

Judges:

Samantha Maiden: Sky News Australia – Presenter

Kumi Taguchi: ABC – Host ‘Compass’

Michael Usher: Channel Seven News – Presenter

“Amnesty International congratulates all of the winners of the 2017 Media Awards for their exceptional human rights reporting. We recognise the critical role journalists, photographers and cartoonists play in exposing human rights abuses,” said Amnesty International Australia’s President and board director Gabe Kavanagh.

Gabe Kavanagh, who presented the awards along with judges at the event in Sydney, recognised the difficult climate in which journalists operate today. She highlighted the awards as an opportunity to celebrate those who go above and beyond to deliver quality human rights reporting.

“Tonight we acknowledge all of the winners and celebrate those who have pushed boundaries to reveal hidden abuses and encourage greater understanding of press freedom and human rights in Australia and around the world,” said Gabe Kavanagh.

Special guest speaker at the Awards was Deakin University’s Professor of Communications, long-time journalist and MEAA representative on the Press Council Matthew Ricketson, who spoke about human rights reporting and the importance of and threats to press freedom, including here in Australia.

The six winners each received an exquisite sculptural piece inspired by Amnesty International’s iconic flame, created by Wathaurong Glass.

The Awards ceremony was held at Sydney’s Darlinghurst Theatre.

Wiradjuri and gay: why marriage equality matters to me

As Australians around the country await the results of the marriage equality survey, due to be announced on 15 November, Professor Mark McMillan explains why marriage equality matters to him, his family and his community.

Society can change

I am a proud Wiradjuri man and I come from a line of strong, sovereign Wiradjuri women. During their lifetimes, society saw my mother and grandmother as less than equal, simply because of who they were. But they had no choice about the world they were born into and could not be anyone other than who they were: strong Wiradjuri women.

Society had to change and accept them as equals. Mum and Nan were able to partake in the full rights of citizenship, including – if they wanted – the civil institution of ‘marriage’.

“Being gay is the way I was born, just as I was born Wiradjuri. I cannot change it, nor should I have to.”

Professor Mark McMillan

Voting YES

As a proud gay Wiradjuri man, I am voting YES in the marriage equality postal survey so I too can participate in this institution if I so choose. Being unable to marry my partner for no other reason than I was born gay is just wrong. Being able to marry another person is one of the citizenship rights that my Mum and Nan fought for.

Being gay is the way I was born, just as I was born Wiradjuri. I cannot change it, nor should I have to. Marriage equality, for me and my family, is about society accepting me as a total person and a total citizen. As an Australian citizen I participate in all other civic institutions: I vote, I pay tax, I abide by the laws (Wiradjuri and Australian). Yet, I am excluded from marrying my partner, just because I was born gay.

Equal treatment for all

Society made a promise to my Mum and Nan that everyone should be treated equally. Marriage equality is about society living up to that promise and granting all Australians, regardless of who they are, the full rights (and responsibilities) of citizenship, including access to any and all civic institutions.

Marriage equality is important for me, my family and my community because marriage should not be a vehicle of exclusion but one of inclusion.

Professor Mark McMillan is Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor of Indigenous Education and Engagement at RMIT.

Closing Manus Island: an inside perspective

Following the formal closure of the Manus Island detention centre, Imran Mohammad, a 23-year-old Rohingya from Myanmar, describes its impact on the people detained there.

Making a bad situation worse

The refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island are at the lowest point of their lives.
There are no words to describe the pressure the Australian Government is imposing in order to empty and close its offshore detention centre. The way in which the Australian Government is managing the closure of the centre is making a bad situation worse.

As well as the constant threat of being told to move to unsafe housing, the systematic removal of services is also adding to the mental trauma of the men here. The authorities removed the public phones almost two months ago and many men have no contact with their families. The main fences were taken down from Bravo and Charlie compounds and some buildings have been demolished. The canteen is closed to the majority of men and they have stopped providing fruit, sugar, coffee and paper cups. Men who never smoked before and who have become addicted to cigarettes can no longer get them – I cry seeing the men smoking dry leaves and papers.

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The medical centre has been closed so currently we have no no medical or mental health support and patients requiring medication have been given a one-month supply, whether it is for a mental condition or physical. The Australian Government has not ruled out disruption to water and electricity which could lead to disease.

During our time on Manus Island we have experienced riot, being shot at, assaulted, robbed, and sometimes treated worse than animals. On many occasions we have been beaten in front of the Australian security guards as we moved around the centre. We call for help in the vain hope that someone might answer. The fear that has grown in our minds will never go away. It moves around in our minds constantly. Six men who were full of life have died because of this endless pain. They would still be alive if they had been taken to safety.

Drastic conditions

In Lorengau, about thirty kilometres from the detention centre, there are three facilities, two of which are newly built close to the houses of Manusians. Refugees are to be accommodated in the established East Lorengau Transit Centre, as well as West Lorengau Haus. Detainees with negative refugee status will be held in Hillside Haus to prepare for voluntary repatriation, deportation or refoulement. Neither of the new buildings have fences and there is no proper security.

Moving more than 600 men from many different countries into an isolated town will make conditions even more drastic for the refugees and local people alike. It is obvious that the Australian Government has no solution for the inevitable obstacles they have created during the four years of illegal imprisonment of innocent refugees and asylum seekers. There are hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers who have never left the centre as they are extremely frightened. Many are traumatised and mentally disturbed. Some of the local people, who don’t want us on their island, are just as afraid of the refugees.

There are hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers who have never left the centre as they are extremely frightened. Many are traumatised and mentally disturbed.

Lack of facilities

As there is only one hospital on Manus Island, which doesn’t even provide proper medical, psychiatric and general health services for the Manusians, let alone for refugees and asylum seekers. The lack of interpreters for those who cannot speak English, means some patients will never receive proper treatment, even for minor illnesses.

Some form of health service will be available at one of the accommodations but financial support offered will not cover our living costs. Those who require medication will have to provide for themselves and that is if the correct medication can be purchased in the town at all.

There will be no activities, gym or education facilities in the new accommodation and there is nowhere to go, except one supermarket, and nothing to do. It simply means that we will be stuck in prison indefinitely, a prison designed to inflict more psychological damage. The doors will be open but the fear of being attacked will keep us inside the four walls.

There is no clear information for how long we will be staying in Lorengau and our future is as uncertain as it has always been on Manus Island. It feels as though we could be stuck in limbo for years again and not knowing anything about our future will rob us of any strength we have left.

Closure means unemployment for Manus locals

With the closure of the detention centre, hundreds of Manusians who have been employed will lose their jobs. Many have said they will find it extremely difficult to go back to their previous way of life, as for the last few years they have had money to spend and, having worked with Western people, have lived a modern lifestyle.

Everything will change for the Manus locals when the centre closes. It is anticipated that unrest will escalate and we, the refugees and asylum seekers here, will suffer most because we are the outsiders. Many of the locals have never left Manus Province so they have zero awareness of other cultures. There will be an immense cultural communication breakdown which will significantly affect both side in multiple ways. This is an insufferable situation.

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An uncertain future

Till now, we have done everything we have been told and shown great respect. However, we are still stuck in limbo without any hope of a building a life in a safe country. There is considerable uncertainty about our future on Manus Island. Friends who came with us on the same boat after 19 July have been living in safety in Australia for almost three years. Last month, after four years, 23 men from Manus Island found their freedom in America under the resettlement arrangement between the Australian and US governments. It brought some sort of hope to the lives of the 700 left behind. In the meantime, we are drowning in a sea of despair with every passing day.

We gather in peace and silence every afternoon around 2pm in front of the two main gates inside the centre, begging the Australian Government to bring our suffering on Manus Island to an end and to show we are resisting pressure to move to Lorengau. We are powerless and hopeless. We have no intention, nor the strength or ability to fight anyone. We have been made to endure indescribable and unspeakable hardships for more than four years.

We are still stuck in limbo without any hope of a building a life in a safe country.

Will we ever be able to leave?

For us who are held on Manus Island it never rains but it pours. We wonder, if we move to the transit centre will we be tricked again? Will we be forced to sign resettlement papers to remain in Papua New Guinea as some of the refugees have already experienced so they can have access to services and support?

We feel like the Australian Government will simply dust their hands of us and dump us here forever to become the headache of Papua New Guinea (PNG), where we are not wanted. We will not even be allowed to leave Manus to travel to the mainland.

As the PNG military reoccupies its land, we are being pushed beyond our limit to survive. If we stay in the centre we are at risk and if we leave we will be in danger.

Rohingya Muslims walk through water after crossing the Myanmar border and Naff river to enter Bangladesh. © Getty Images — Rohingya refugees walk through water after crossing the Myanmar border and Naff river to enter Bangladesh in 2017© Getty Images

Ongoing trauma

I am one of many stateless Rohingya refugees in detention on Manus Island and the fear we have endured for most of our lives is still with us. We came to Australia thinking that we would be given a chance to experience freedom and safety but in fact the reverse has been true. We are as frightened now as we were at home because we are surrounded by menacing PNG police and we don’t know what their next move will be.

Those of us from Myanmar who put our lives in danger on the sea to find freedom and safety cannot make plans before leaving our country. We are allowed no documentation by our government and so can never enter any country through normal channels. We have had no choice but to endure unspeakable tragedies and unimaginable horror all our lives, both at home and in many detention centres. I have spent almost seven years in detention. Despite having been through all of these hardships, our hearts still hold faith.

Rohingya refugees crossing the border into Bangladesh. — Rohingya refugees crossing the border into Bangladesh © Amnesty International

End the suffering

I am begging the Australian Government on behalf all the refugees and asylum seekers to bring an end to our suffering. Please don’t let us die here slowly. We are as human as you. We’re real people, with real bodies and hearts that crave love and respect and want to share love and respect in return.

We are on our knees imploring the Australian Government to let us live our lives in a safe country. All we are asking for is our freedom and safety after for more than four years of imprisonment, waiting, feeling lost and drifting in this prison camp.

This blog was originally published by The Saturday Paper.