A WHISTLEBLOWER who worked at Manus Island detention centre will speak at a special screening of Eva Orner’s confronting documentary Chasing Asylum this weekend.
Martin Appleby, who worked as a safety and security officer on Manus Island between July and December 2013, said he knew he had to speak out after witnessing the most “inhumane conditions” within the detention centre.
His eyewitness accounts feature in the documentary.
“I saw refugees attempting to commit suicide daily,” Mr Appleby said.
“The people I saw living in detention were so desperate, that they would resort to self-harm to have time out from their compound.”
“Spending over 1000 days in detention can drive anyone to experience severe mental health issues.”
Mr Appleby said he worked as a prison correctional officer in Victoria for 10 years, but the living conditions he saw in Manus Island were the worst he had ever seen.
Read the full article bySuzan Delibasic in the Caulfield Glen Eira Leader.