News location:

Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Manus Island report to be aired locally

AMNESTY International will give Canberrans the chance to hear about its ongoing refugee and asylum-seeker advocacy campaign and its research into offshore processing at two information sessions in early March.

The cover of Amnesty International's latest report on Manus Island.
The cover of Amnesty International’s latest report on Manus Island.
The sessions will draw on the information collected in preparation of the organisation’s damning report on Manus Island Detention Centre, “This is Breaking People: Human Rights Violations at Australia’s Asylum Seeker Processing Centre on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea”.

The sessions will allow Canberrans to “hear verbatim the words of interviewed detainees”, according to Amnesty International’s ACT and Southern NSW branch, and find out about Amnesty’s six-month campaign strategy that will culminate in a “mass mobilisation” on World Refugee Day (June 20).

A "rarely published" sketch drawn by one of Amnesty International's refugee campaigners after visiting Manus Island.
A “rarely published” sketch drawn by one of Amnesty International’s refugee campaigners after visiting Manus Island.
Local Amnesty International community organiser Bede Carmody says “This is Breaking People” is the first independent public report into the conditions at Manus Island detention centre and “just the beginning of a long-term campaign”.

“Following the release of Amnesty’s report [immigration minister] Scott Morrison said: ‘Where thingsare presented that can improve, then of course, we will do that’,” says Carmody. “We’re still waiting for an answer.”

“We need Australians to be aware of the flaws in the offshore processing policy and to take action against it,” he adds.

The information sessions will be held at the lower ground floor office, 33-35 Ainslie Place, Civic, on Saturday, March 8 at 10.30am and Tuesday, 11 March at 6pm.

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews