Australia seeking to silence whistle-blowers on refugee camps
Australia seeks to silence those who report on the poor and inhumane conditions of asylum-seekers in refugee camps.
The Australian government has recently passed a law that would sentence to two years in jail whistle-blowers who divulge information from the dire situation, including sexual abuse and suicide attempts, inside the refugee centers.
The law, which came into force on July 1, would mainly target doctors, nurses, teachers and social workers who tend to traumatized migrants.
The harsh new legislation affects immigration facilities both inside the country as well as in Australian-run camps on the remote Pacific island of Nauru and Manus Island, in Papua New Guinea.
The law gagging especially medical staff has drawn criticisms both from inside and overseas, with critics saying that it would deter medical workers from working in refugee camps, which will further deteriorate the situation.
“It’s clear that they want to silence people, to intimidate and scare them,” said John-Paul Sanggaran, a GP who detailed shockingly poor healthcare in the detention center on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean.
As part of the campaign against the law, around 250 doctors and health care professionals also gathered at Sydney’s Town Hall on Friday, urging the government to repel the legislation.
The government has defended its position, saying the law protects national security.
In recent years, the Australian government has been under fire at home and abroad for its strict immigration policies and treatment of refugees.
High rates of depression and under-funded medical facilities are among the criticisms made against detention centers.
100 writers pull out of Australia arts event after Palestinian author disinvited
ICJ to start hearings on Rohingya genocide case against Myanmar
UK acting as US vassal state on Venezuela
‘Permits of humiliation’: Israel targets Christian schools in al-Quds
Over 470 terrorists, riot ringleaders captured across Iran
UNRWA chief warns about 'record highs' of diseases in Gaza amid Israeli siege
Israeli agricultural exports face looming 'collapse' amid boycotts over Gaza genocide
VIDEO | Canadians preparing to hold more rallies in solidarity with Venezuela
VIDEO | Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari goes on trial for supporting Palestine
VIDEO | Italian farmers launch protest campaign against EU-Mercosur free trade deal
VIDEO | Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ invitation sparks criticism in Pakistan
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
