A ‘refugee’ on Manus Island has won a Victorian Premier’s Literary Award despite not being an Australian citizen or a permanent resident.
Behrouz Boochani, a Kurdish journalist, took out the non-fiction section, scoring $25,000, before going on to win the $100,000 Victorian Prize for Literature, which is said to be the most valued literary award in the country.
Conditions for entry stipulate that authors must be Australian citizens or permanent residents, however organisers decided to make an exception for Boochani.
.@BehrouzBoochani’s book No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison (@picador_aus) wins the Prize for Non-fiction. https://t.co/ItWrk9C6Jt #vpla2019 pic.twitter.com/3fkyOuTBu5
— The Wheeler Centre (@wheelercentre) January 31, 2019
Boochani, who has been on the island since 2013, claims to be a “political hostage” of the “fascist” Australian government who has, apparently subjected thousands of innocent people, including children, to “torture.”
Some people get upset that I call their government fascist. If exiling 2000 innocent people, including children, in an indefinite detention on remote islands and torturing them is not fascism then what is it? It's beyond barbaric and violent.#Manus
— Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) January 11, 2019
Oh, and by “torture,” he doesn’t mean water-boarding, starvation or bamboo under the fingernails. Boochani means boredom.
“Torture means six years of having nothing to do but staring at a wall, thinking about your destiny, listening to a killing silence and watching how slowly life disappears in front of your eyes. Torture means being condemned to an indefinite wait. The reality of Manus and Nauru,” Boochani tweeted.
Torture means six years of having nothing to do but staring at a wall, thinking about your destiny, listening to a killing silence and watching how slowly life disappears in front of your eyes. Torture means being condemned to an indefinite wait. The reality of Manus & Nauru.
— Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) January 9, 2019
Boochani also threatened not to let Australia get away with their “crimes,” warning Australians that they’ll be “stalked like a nightmare” until they confess to their crimes.
“We don’t know how long it will take us to get freedom, but be sure that we won’t let Australia get away with its crimes on Manus and Nauru,” Boochani said. “We’ll stalk you like a nightmare, and wont’ leave until you admit to your violation of human rights. @ScottMorrisonMP”
We dont know how long it will take for us to get freedom, but be sure that we won’t let Australia get away with its crimes on Manus & Nauru. We’ll stalk you like a nightmare, and won’t leave until you admit to your violation of human. rights.@ScottMorrisonMP
— Behrouz Boochani (@BehrouzBoochani) January 12, 2019
