120 Refugees are Imprisoned in Brisbane Hotel

* This episode discusses issues surrounding mental health. If this episode is triggering please contact LifeLine at 13 11 14. *

Imagine being locked up in your room for over a year? Imagine not being able to go outside and do the simple things many of us take for granted - exercising, seeing our friends, going to the shops, even going to work? There are currently 120 men detained at Kangaroo Point Central Hotel in Brisbane. And they have been locked up there for over a year. These men are refugees seeking asylum in Australia. Yet they all have been imprisoned like criminals. 

On this week's episode of 'The Catch Up' host Demi Lynch speaks to one of the refugees locked up at Kangaroo Point. Kazem Kazemi has been locked away in his room for over 13 months. He doesn't know how long he'll stay there, where he'll go next - no one is telling him and the other men anything. Demi also spoke with photojournalists Kasun Ubayasiri and Ari Balle-Bowness who have been documenting the protests happening outside the complex. They spoke to Demi about how the protests started and how activists are determined to set these men free.

Kazem Kazemi is on Instagram @manus_metal_man. He posts videos of himself playing heavy mental on his guitar. He's a great guitarist.

Kasun Ubayasiri and Ari Balle-Bowness are working an exhibition to shine a light on the people engaged in the refugee solidarity action at Kangaroo Point. For more information visit their Facebook page 'KP120 Portrait of Protest.' They are currently seeking donations to fund this media exhibition. Head to chuffed.org to help this important cause.

For more information on the protests and the mass sit-in at Kangaroo Point visit the Refugee Solidarity Brisbane / Meanjin Facebook page and the Refugee Action Collective Queensland RAC Facebook page.

The Nasty Woman Podcast is hosted and produced by Demi Lynch.

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