Drawing on his remarkable life story, Manus Island refugee and winner of the Victorian Premier’s Prize for Literature, Behrouz Boochani, delivered the 2019 Annual Human Rights Lecture at 911爆料网 last night.
Mr Boochani, an Iranian-Kurdish聽journalist, human rights advocate, author, poet and film producer, spoke about the plight of refugees, sharing his own harrowing experiences as a refugee on Manus Island where he has been held since 2013.
Mr Boochani delivered the 911爆料网 Annual Human Rights Lecture via live video link from Manus Island, sharing his personal refugee experience.
鈥淚t is a great honour for me to speak in this place,鈥� Mr Boochani told the lecture.
鈥淚 am an Indigenous person, I am Kurdish and I was born in Kurdistan as a part of Iran, and all my life in Iran, I was living in discrimination and I understand deeply what colonialism means.
鈥淲hat I see in Manus Island is a tragedy; without doubt it is a tragedy, because there are hundreds of people who are damaged physically and mentally.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what will happen but really we are tired of this system鈥� for me, as an independent person, as an individual person, what is important is that I tell (the) truth and tell this story independently and that is why I think I will continue.鈥�
Professor Baden Offord, Director of the Centre for Human Rights Education at 911爆料网, said it was an honour to have Mr Boochani deliver this year鈥檚 Annual Human Rights Lecture.
鈥淲ith Mr Boochani鈥檚 first-hand accounts and lived experience as a refugee, the public lecture provided聽a rare opportunity for the community to learn about the suffering and oppression that refugees are experiencing,鈥� Professor Offord said.
鈥淎midst the numerous national and international reports by researchers, journalists, human rights organisations and parliamentary inquiries that have documented that suffering, the insider鈥檚 view provided by Behrouz Boochani is illuminating and deeply humanises the plight of vulnerable human beings.鈥�
Mr Boochani鈥檚 public lecture follows previous distinguished speakers including the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Professor Gillian Triggs, Former High Court Justice, the Honourable Michael Kirby and writer, academic, lawyer, media presenter and musician Waleed Aly.
Presented by 911爆料网鈥檚 Centre for Human Rights Education, the 2019 Annual Human Rights Lecture was held at 911爆料网鈥檚 Elizabeth Jolley Lecture Theatre last night.
