Melbourne: Graffiti & flyer action for the comrades in Chile

11 May –  Graffiti & flyer action in the inner-city suburbs of Melbourne for the anarchist comrades facing repression inside the dungeons of the Chilean state. Slogans sprayed for Nataly, Juan and Guillermo – on hunger strike since April 14th and for Tamara Sol Vergara and Natalia Tato Collao. Flyers pasted about the case of Tamara Sol Vergara and the hunger strike of Nataly, Juan & Guillermo.

– Subversive Tagging & Propaganda Cell)

Nauru: Hunger strike starts as protests spread

6 October, RAC: The protests by asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru that began on Thursday 25 August are continuing, and have now spread to the single men’s camp, OPC 2.

The daily protests inside the family camp show no sign of slowing down. Every evening, between 300 and 500 asylum seekers gather to protest against proposed Australian government policy that would see them left doubly discriminated against and facing a life sentence on Nauru.

Around 90 asylum seekers, mostly Burmese, Bangladeshi and Iranian, have been on hunger strike for the last three days (ie since Saturday 4 October). Hundreds are maintaining a 24 hour protest and vigil at the gates of OPC 2.

Yesterday, Sunday 5 October, around 60 of those found to be refugees held another demonstration in front of the Save the Children offices.

Christmas Island: protesters injured by riot squad

3 June: Reports from Christmas Island indicate that at least six people were taken by ambulance out of the detention centre following the bashing of peaceful protesters by the Federal Police riot squad.

Asylum seekers who witnessed the baton-wielding, helmeted riot squad attacking the protesters said they saw people whose faces and shirts were covered in blood. They have told the Refugee Action Coalition that besides the six transported out of the detention centre, other injured asylum seekers are being treated at the detention centre’s medical clinic.

It is believed that there are many injured hands and arms from the baton attack.

Christmas Island: Hundreds on hunger strike, seven stitch lips

I June: Around 75 asylum seekers who began their protest in solidarity with Reza Barati last Tuesday are in their sixth day of hunger strike – having slept Saturday night outside their compounds, in the rain.

In response to the protest, Immigration and Serco have locked down the whole of the detention centre, confining hundreds of asylum seekers inside their compounds.

Now the outside hunger strikers have now been joined by up to 300 other asylum seekers, Iranian, Iraqi and Rohingyan, in the locked down compounds. Hundreds are into their fourth day of hunger strike as the anger and frustration grows.

Seven Iranians in Gold and Green compound have also stitched their lips.

The protesters have been on the island for 10 and 11 months.

“We are getting tired with no activity. But they are always warning, you we will be sent to Manus Island or Nauru. We need freedom. The people outside in the rain are calling for freedom,” one asylum seeker said from inside the detention centre.

Christmas Island: detainees on hunger strike

16 January: Family groups have joined a hunger strike on Christmas Island as protests spread to three separate compounds.The hunger strike began last week in the single adult male compound at north-west point, where some detainees also sewed their lips together.

A second hunger strike began at the Aqua family compound on Tuesday, according to detainees at the centre. The detainees have put up a banner bearing the word “freedom”. It is not clear whether children are also involved in the protest.

A third group are also protesting in the Lilac facility, which houses men and women. The protesters there staged a sit-in protest and wrote a letter to the Department of Immigration complaining about their treatment and expressing their fears of being sent to Nauru.

The protest was initially sparked by the separation of some asylum seekers from family members.

Australia: Detention Logs

Detention Logs is an independent site that publishes documents and data about Australian detention centres. The first wave of data is a searchable database of 7632 reported incidents across immigration detention facilities from October 2009 to May 2011, as recorded by the private contractors running the detention centres. These events range from self-harms, assaults and escapes to electric fence failures, complaints and aborted deportations.

Across that time, there were 77 escapes, along with four incidents recorded as ‘escape – mass breakout‘ and 56 recorded as ‘escape – attempted’.

There were 98 demonstrations within detention centres, as well as hundreds of records relating to hunger strikes – labeled as ‘Voluntary Starvation’. There were also hundreds of incidents of disturbance and damage.

See The Everyday Violence In Our Detention Centres, New Matilda

Melbourne: Hunger Strike has ended, Struggle for release continues

 

MITA Hunger Strike, April 17: Tonight 27 refugees at MITA decided to end their hunger strike. The group of men — consisting of 15 Tamils and 2 Burmese Rohingyas — had gone 10 days without food, and the first five days without water as well. Four had been intermittently hospitalised during this period. The hunger strike stopped after a meeting between Paris Aristotle, a representative from DIAC and the 27 refugees on hunger strike. As a result, the refugees will meet with a representative from DIAC this coming Friday.

The campaign to call for their release into the community is not over. There will be a vigil in the city, outside the State Library, this Friday @6PM. Please come and show your support for the 56 men, women and children who continue to be subjected to indefinite detention.

Here’s the message from tonight’s solidarity vigil:

Melbourne: Hunger Strike in Immigration Detention continues

April 15: Refugees in the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation (MITA) detention centre have entered the eighth day of their hunger strike. 27 people are on hunger strike: all have been found to be refugees, but have been denied release because of secret security rulings from ASIO.

There is a blog being updated regularly with news, including links to a number of interviews with hunger strikers and a support flyer that can be downloaded (pdf).

 

Melbourne: ASIO negative refugees begin mass hunger strike

RAC:  At 2.00am, Monday morning (8 April), 28 ASIO negative refugees (24 Sri Lankan, 2 Iranian 2 Rohingyans) began a hunger strike at the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation (MITA) detention centre. They have gathered on the playground inside the detention facility.

They have released a letter explaining their protest:

Letter from ASIO refugees 06/04/13

Message from the ASIO rejected refugees:

We are 29 people here at Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation (25 Tamils, 2 Burmese and 2 Iranian) and 56 people all over the Australian detention. We have been here for four years and more. We cannot tolerate it any longer. We need to be released to save our lives.

At 2 a.m. today (Monday, April 8, 2013) we began a hunger strike together. All 30 of us plan to keep doing this until there is solution, one way or the other.

Bulgaria: Anti-fascist prisoner Jock Palfreeman ends his hunger strike – but still needs your support

Indymedia, 27 February: Australian Anti-fascist prisoner Jock Palfreeman, serving 20 years in Sofia/Bulgaria for defending two Roma boys from a racist mob, was on hunger strike from the 13th January 2013. The Director of the Central Sofia Prison had ordered another punishment measure because of Jock´s activist work as chairman of the Bulgarian Prisoner´s Association. Due to this punishment Jock is now not allowed to finish his studies which is very important to him.

After 30 days Jock ended his hunger strike because he got an answer from the Bulgarian authorities. The prison administration responsible for his case answered that he can only study in a Bulgarian University, and not in a foreign one. But, if he wants to study in a Bulgarian Unviersity he cannot do this from prison, so he is not permitted to continue his studies. This ‘official’ answer means that he can now apply in the courts against the decision. After losing 20 kilos in weight he ended his hunger strike and will continue his protest by legal ways.

Jock is very thankful for the support he received. But the issue of being able to continue his studies is not resolved, so it is still useful for friends and supporters to write letters to the Ministry of Justice in Bulgaria.