Around 100 asylum seekers are once again being held in Australia’s offshore processing center in Nauru, after numbers had dropped to zero in June last year.
Mohammad Bashir Anjum from Pakistan is currently housed in Regional Processing Centre one, or RPC1.
“They are treating not really good,” said Anjum, who has been there since February. “No humanity, just treating like animal.”
Anjum arrived in Nauru after traveling by boat from Indonesia to Broome in north-west Australia. He fled violence, including torture and kidnapping, in Pakistan twice—once in 2013 and again in 2021 after returning from Brisbane, hoping the situation had improved.
Anjum stated he does not know exactly how long he will be kept in Nauru, but an immigration official informed him it would likely be “many, many years.” He also mentioned a lack of concern by staff and limited access to healthcare, noting that his requests to see an eye specialist had gone unanswered.
Jana Favero from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre reported hearing similar complaints about insufficient healthcare services. “At times there are only nurses available versus doctors; we are trying to verify all these reports by asking questions of the government, but it’s impossible to get any information,” said Favero, who heads the Systemic Change department.
George Newhouse, a lawyer with the National Justice Project, said his organization is currently handling 40 cases for refugees or asylum seekers who were on Nauru, dealing with psychiatric or physical injuries from their time there. “We’ve had many examples of individuals with cancer diagnoses and other very serious illnesses that have not received proper treatment,” he said.
Nauru President David Adeang claimed that hundreds, possibly thousands, of people are looking after the wellbeing of asylum seekers in RPC1. He acknowledged the limitations of their medical facilities but stated that patients were sent overseas if necessary. In a rare press conference, Adeang also defended the reputation of the regional processing center, stating that it had alleviated unemployment issues in Nauru and criticizing journalists for biased reporting.
Umair Bacha from Pakistan, who has been in Nauru for six months, described his time in RPC1 and living in the community as generally positive, but noted that the allowance from Australia was insufficient. Mohammad Saju Ahmed, another asylum seeker, mentioned that the process would be long, with some estimates ranging from eight to ten years.
Both Bacha and Ahmed receive an allowance of AUS$460 per month and are not allowed to work. Since 2013, Australia has maintained that no one arriving by boat seeking protection will be resettled in Australia. New Zealand agreed to resettle 450 refugees from Nauru under an arrangement with Australia, but a New Zealand government spokesperson clarified that those currently in Nauru are not eligible for this resettlement.
Anjum revealed that his smartphone was confiscated by Australian Border Protection and replaced with a basic phone, citing security reasons that were not explained. Access to the internet is heavily restricted, with services like Google and Facebook Messenger blocked. Favero emphasized the importance of tools like WhatsApp for communication, noting that limited access makes it harder to get information out of Nauru.
RNZ Pacific contacted Australia’s Ministry of Home Affairs for details on the situation in Nauru, but a spokesperson cited privacy concerns and operational matters, reiterating that the Nauru government is responsible for managing the regional processing arrangements.
According to the spokesperson, “All individuals transferred to Nauru are provided with a mobile phone and have access to the internet.”
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