National protests demand freedom for Ranjini

May 13, 2013
Issue 
Protest for Ranjini in Sydney on May 10. (Photo: Peter Boyle.)

About 20 people gathered outside the Department of Immigration offices in Sydney on May 10 to demand freedom for a Tamil refugee named Ranjini and freedom for all refugees with negative ASIO assessments.

Another protest was held outside Villawood detention centre on the same day.

A statement by the Refugee Action Collective said: "The Sydney actions are part of national protests to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the detention of Ranjini and her two children in Melbourne. Ranjini has since had her third child, Paari, born in detention in January 2013.

"Ranjini is one of 56 ASIO negative refugees (plus seven children) who face a life in detention because of the government's present discriminatory policy.

"'Most of the ASIO negative refugees have been in detention for between three and four years. Their physical and mental health deteriorates day by day. They should be released.

"They, and their families, face a life sentence without any proper appeal rights,' said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for RAC."

Other protests for Ranjini were also held in Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Newcastle and Brisbane.

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