For one quarter of our lives we have been locked up in detention by the Australian government and we are still suffering. We came to escape torture and we are still being tortured. We are just numbers for them. Everyone in the world has rights. Our rights shouldn’t depend on where we are from or the colour of our skin. We are treated worse than criminals in prison. Criminals have access to work, exercise and sunshine. We are denied these basic rights. Even criminals in jail are supported to study and get a quality education. We are banned. They are ruining our future with this torture. They are also going to confiscate our phones and that will disconnect us from our family and friends and limit our legal support. We have been separated from humanity, from our family, from our loved ones. We have been separated from people we love and we are losing our identity. They are trying to take our identities away further by taking our phones. With no other stimulation in this prison, our phones are a lifeline, we need them to stay sane! Why do they want to take our phones? Now they call us detainees, even animals in the zoo are treated better than us. If there were 65 dogs in this place instead of us they would be allowed to have a walk. We are not allowed to have a walk out of this place, we are treated worse than animals. We haven’t had sunlight for months. Plants wilt without light, they die. They are depriving us of nature, they are depriving us of sunlight, they want to deprive us of time with our family and friends. They are killing us slowly, but we will not wilt and die. We are in conditions that would make anyone sick, and the irony is we are here for medical treatment. From the beginning of our imprisonment they tried to call us by a number. We are not numbers and we don’t want to be detainees . We want to be free to live! The 19th of July marks 2557 days of torture and separation from families for us. I would like to ask you wonderful Australians to light a candle for our freedom. I hope the light from these candles lights the future for our nation. We are one family and I love my family. #GameOver #7yearstoolong #freetherefugees https://www.instagram.com/p/CC0o5UYD0aL/?igshid=kjkb45nsdmy9
