UPDATE 14/02/19: Abdul Aziz Muhamat is the 2019 laureate of the Martin Ennals Award! Dick Oosting, Chair of the Martin Ennals Foundation explained, “this young man was only 20 when he first arrived on Manus island. Since then, he never stopped raising his voice for those who have been stripped of their most basic rights together with him. He showed extraordinary tenacity and courage, always resisting peacefully even after a police officer shot him in the leg.”

In 2013 Aziz fled his home in Sudan to escape conflict. He tried to seek safety in Australia, but instead, the Australian Government sent him to suffer in the detention centre on Manus Island.

Five years later, he is still detained on Manus and is a leading spokesperson about the grave situation within the detention camps.

But Aziz and many others are afraid that they will end up in jail if they speak out about conditions on Manus. Those labelled as “troublemakers” have already been arrested and detained without charge.

In 2015 Aziz was held without charge by Papua New Guinean police for holding a hunger strike with other detainees.

But that hasn’t silenced him. He continues to speak to the media about the situation on Manus, shares updates on Twitter, records a podcast and peacefully protests against human rights violations.

He says, “my hope is that the suffering will end. I hope Australians understand we are humans, just like them. We want the same things, safety, shelter and freedom.”

Aziz and others detained on Manus need to be allowed to speak out, and to let the world know what’s happening on Manus.

Tell the Australian Government to allow Aziz, and others detained on Manus, to speak up without fear of being arrested, harassed or detained.