2 Bangladeshi refugees on Australian detention island sew lips shut in protest

Two Bangladeshi refugees on the tiny Pacific Ocean island of Nauru, a five-hour plane ride from Australia, have sewn their lips together in protest of their nearly decade-long imprisonment on the island, reports Al Jazeera.

Since July 2013, Australia has used Nauru to detain asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat. Some were also transferred to Papua New Guinea's (PNG) Manus Island for processing, and they were all warned they would never be able to live in Australia.

The policy has had a severe impact on refugees and asylum seekers who are subject to its provisions.

Some 150 refugees and asylum seekers are currently on Nauru and PNG, with no idea when — or if — they will be resettled.

Mohammad Shofiqul Islam and Mohammad Kaium have been detained on Nauru for nearly ten years.

Mohammad Shofiqul Islam spoke for them both via the WhatsApp messaging service from where they are holding their protest near RPC1, the administrative hub for refugee services and security in Nauru.

"We are hunger strik[ing]," he wrote in a message to Al Jazeera.

"We closed our lips and we [have] stopped eating and drinking … we can't speak," Shofiqul Islam said.

"We don't eat and don't drink until we get our medical treatment and freedom."

As per Shofiqul Islam, the two men travelled separately to Australia from Bangladesh in 2013 to seek asylum from persecution in their home country. Their boats were intercepted by the Australian navy and transferred to Nauru.

Since 2015, refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru have been detained in the wider island community.

But the situation is "not safe", Shofiqul Islam said.

"In Nauru, people are treat[ing] us like we are animals — not human," he said.

"Here in Nauru, very poor medical treatment," he continued. "And we are not safe here. People … here, they don't like refugees. They hate us."

Detainee abuse and neglect have been well documented on Nauru's "open-air prison," according to rights group Amnesty International.

Following attacks and for the treatment of chronic illnesses, refugees have been medically evacuated.

Detainees' mental health is likewise a major concern.

Self-harm and even attempted suicide have been documented among the children detained there. In 2019, the last four of over 200 children held on Nauru were transferred in the United States.

Shofiqul Islam has started the process of applying for resettlement in the United States under a 2016 agreement between Canberra and Washington. But, he has been involved in the process for over three years, and neither Shofiqul Islam nor Kaium know when they will be released.

He and Kaium, who is not in the resettlement process for the US, are desperate to get off the island and end their indefinite detention.

"We need medical treatment … freedom. We want justice," he wrote.

"Why we are 10 years in limbo without any crime? Our hearts are broke[n] now, we can't take anymore. Please help us to get our freedom."

Justifying cruelty

Even as Shofiqul Islam and Kaium protest for their and other refugees' freedom, the Australian government recently approved legislation that gives it the legal authority to continue processing asylum claims overseas, effectively consolidating detentions on Nauru.

Behrouz Boochani, an award-winning author, former refugee, and political analyst, has accused the Australian Labor Party of "lying" about why it uses offshore processing.

Offshore detention of refugees and asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia is officially a prevention to people smuggling.

"But that is just something that they [use] to justify this cruelty," Behrouz said, explaining that both of Australia's major political parties, Labor and the centre-right Liberal Party, have created fear around asylum seekers arriving by boat and have used tough immigration policies to win votes.

"They hide themselves behind national security," he said. "Believe me, nothing will happen if they release [the refugees on Nauru]," he added.

Behrouz, who was detained on Manus Island for six years before seeking shelter in New Zealand, also stated that there was a lot of money to be earned in detaining refugees and asylum seekers.

He referenced a 420 million Australian-dollar ($286 million) contract signed earlier this year between the Australian government and Management and Training Corporation (MTC), a US private prisons operator, to operate "garrison and welfare" on Nauru.

The Home Affairs Department in Australia refuses to comment on the situations of Shofiqul Islam and Kaium.

They told Al Jazeera that the government "remains committed to regional processing in Nauru" and that those detained on the island had access to medical services, including for mental health, with "mechanisms in place" to transfer those most in need to Australia or Taiwan.

"Regional processing provides unauthorised maritime arrivals the opportunity to have their protection claims assessed by a regional processing country, and if found to be in need of international protection, support to identify a durable migration pathway," the spokesperson said. "Third country resettlement also supports the Government's no settlement in Australia policy for unauthorised maritime arrivals."

There are movements in Australia's parliament to overturn Labor's use of Nauru to detain refugees and asylum seekers.

Earlier this month, the Australian Greens party introduced a bill in the Senate that would see asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru and in PNG immediately evacuated to Australia. The bill would allow asylum seekers and refugees to stay in Australia temporarily, with access to medical assessments and treatment, before being resettled in a third country.

Political activist and refugee advocate Ian Rintoul thinks the likelihood of the bill passing is slim.

"I can't see Labor supporting the Greens bill," he said.

"Certainly the Liberals will not … Despite Labor policy, the government is committed to maintaining offshore deterrence policies."

Ultimately, he said, Australia should be resettling the refugees and asylum seekers it is holding offshore. Many of them are formally on resettlement pathways to the US, Canada or New Zealand, "but they have all been waiting a long time on Nauru and do not know how much longer they will be waiting", he said.

"Of greater concern are those who do not have any third country resettlement option at all," he continued.

"These people are Australia's responsibility and should not be left on Nauru indefinitely. They obviously should be transferred to Australia and provided the protection they asked for in 2013."

Nearly 10 years on Nauru is already too long, Shofiqul Islam wrote.

"Enough is enough," he said.

"Please stop torturing us, we can't take any more."