Introduction to Desert Storm

Letters From the Inside (1)

Economic Migrants

Desert Indymedia Snippets

In the Middle of Somewhere

Faces

Lucky Country

By Way of an Introduction

Global Solidarity - Actions Around the World

Border Crossing / Border Camping

Letters from the Inside (2)

Shape Shifting

Untitled

No, Really. South Australian Police Aren't Racist

The Intimate Space of Power

Actors For Refugee Readings

Borderhack

An Engagement With the Real - A Dialogue

Woomera 2001-2002

Melbourne Indymedia Woomera Archive Photos

Links, Contacts, Credits, Thanks

woomera
2001-2002

Sadiq Ali

My name is Sadiq Ali. I am 19 years old. I am from Afghanistan. My province is [Ghazni] and my village is Sang-e Masha. I came to Australia February last year and I was in Woomera detention centre till March and on Easter Good Friday I escaped from Woomera and I am free.

Life in Woomera is like a hell. We have difficult life in the camp. I am rejected from the Immigration department from R.R.T. They said that we don't know where are you from but you are not from Afghanistan. Maybe you are from Pakistan or Iran. When they reject me first they said the language analysis said that you are not from Afghanistan, we believe you are Hazara. But when second time from R.R.T they reject me they said that we have not doubt about your language. Your language is right. You speak Hazargi (Dari) which is your mother tongue. You are not from Afghanistan but your language is from Afghanistan.

In Woomera everyone is became crazy. Men, women and children everyday they are cutting their self with razor blade, drinking shampoo and hanging their selfs. They are committing suicide. The ACM who are running the camp they are very bad with us. They are abusing us and saying that are you coming again to Australia. Australia is not your fathers country. This is your punishment for coming Australia.

Last year on the 7th of June the ACM guard beat one of the Afghani detainee. When the other detainees try to protest about their cruelty they came with more than 200 guards inside the camp with large stick with full guard dress and they beat us very badly. They hit with the sticks on the faces and heads of detainees. Nearly everyone was bleeding. They broke hand of detainee and he was fell down in the ground after they took him to the medical centre and they put pliers on this finger and pressed because they said he was faking. Is all finger was became blue and they took him to the Adelaide hospital by emergency flight. The ACM guard said to nurses and the doctor that this man detainee is a criminal, if you gone he will kill you. And they captured more than other 40 detainee. I was also with them. They used handcuff. They beat us very badly. After that every month, two, three time they was searching our rooms until I escaped.

Last year in our holy month of Ramadan they separated us from the other Afghanis but when we try to protest and we said to them this is our holy month of Ramadan and we want to stay together because we have a special prayers in this night but they dismissed our protest away and they used force against us and four ACM guard for one person. I was also in these and there was only eleven unaccompanied minor (under 18 years without parents) and I was also with them. The ACM guard beat us very badly. They beat me with their knees, with their big shoes they kicked me, they punched me and they smashed me in the ground and after smashed me against the wall. Not just me, my other friend, and they used handcuff and separate us. After that they doing bad things against my times until the hunger strike.

In hunger strike we all Afghani was sit under the sun and we was on hunger strike for 15 days. It was very hot days and the people was very thin and feeling dizzy. In first the ACM was laughing on us and we was in very bad condition. The government send advisory group. They came. They promised us many things and at last we finished our hunger strike but the advisory group forget their promises and they fail to do any thing for us.

During these hunger strike the young man name Mazhi Ali jumped on the razor wire. But the Immigration department at first said that he want to escape but after they change their comments. After hunger strike our people who was working in the camps for one dollars an hour the ACM finished their works as a punishment. Somedays after our strike they removed us from one compound to another compound and our life was start again with ACM searching our rooms, with their date expired food and with their abusing until the Easter.

One day the ACM centre manager call our delegate and he said to him that on Easter The people are coming here and you said to detainees that don't do anything. Government send us more force and if you did any we using force and we will beat your people and the people are going back after two days but we are here if you people did any thing it not good for you.

But on Good Friday People came there and we broke the fence and we came out. At first night we was very scared and it was very cold night and we was waiting until 2 o'clock morning and we was happy to that we came out. But at last after too much struggle we came out. We finished to listening the abusing and beatings of ACM and their guard with their black stick and we came to city. And now I and my friend are happy but we are also sad about our other Brothers and Sisters that they are still there and I hope that they will be free soon and everything will going be better for us too. But finally we got our freedom and we are free.