Tasmanians join vigils marking 4 years of offshore processing, with more than 2000 people including 169 children still in limbo on Manus and Nauru

On Wednesday 19 July, the Tassie Nannas and Amnesty International Refugee Rights Group Tasmania will host a candelit vigil to commemorate the four year anniversary of Kevin Rudd’s commencement of the offshore processing regime. More than 2000 refugees and asylum seekers, including 169 children, are still languishing offshore.

Vigils are being held across the nation, in every major state and territory, and overseas, as concerned Australians gather to highlight the ongoing plight of so many people who are now entering their fourth year of indefinite detention in the offshore camps.

Tasmanian vigils are also being held in Launceston, Rosebery and Devonport.

The vigil in Hobart will feature Haji Alizada, a local Hazara man and Trish Moran, a Tassie Nanna as speakers, and will include a memoriam for the 6 people who have died during the 4 years of the offshore processing regime.

Spokesperson Lili Calitz said:

● Parliamentary inquiries, and international investigations have repeatedly established that these camps are sites of gross physical, sexual and psychological abuse. They are simply unsafe and harmful to people.
● Nobody should have been sent to these camps. Four years later, it is unconscionable that they are still there.
● During the vigils we light a candle to let the people in Manus and Nauru know that we have not forgotten them, and to mourn the 6 people who have died in just 4 years.
● The US resettlement deal was announced 8 months ago, yet not a single person has been resettled, and it is likely the deal will not provide safety for all.
● The most obvious and humane solution is to evacuate the offshore camps and bring these people to Australia.
● We call on both major parties to form a bipartisan commitment to immediately evacuate the camps and bring these people to safety

Vigil Details are:
Location: Parliament House Lawns
Time: 6pm
Speakers: Trish Moran, Haji Alizada

The Tassie Nannas are Tasmanian grandmothers who come together to help free refugees, especially children, from detention. We have determination and knitting needles.

Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people campaigning to protect human rights. We have a vision of a world in which every person enjoys all of the rights stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. Amnesty’s Tasmanian Refugee Rights Action Group meets on the third Monday of each month at the Hobart Action Centre – 1/130 Macquarie St, Hobart.
Lili Calitz, Trish Moran