In pictures: Life inside the Manus detention centre
On 26th April, Papua New Guinea’s supreme court ruled that the Manus Island detention centre for asylum seekers is illegal and unconstitutional. Australia has been paying the country to host detention camps for asylum seekers who attempt to reach its shores by boat.
Photographer Brian Cassey visited the Island of Manus in 2013, when its detention centre was reopened, and again in 2016 after the court ruling. We published his photos in issue #23 of Delayed Gratification, which comes out this week.
Cassey was never allowed inside the centre, but after the court ruling he met some of the detainees who were now free to leave the centre and visit the island’s towns. Some of them sent him pictures from inside the centre, as they staged a week-long protest against their detention and treatment in May. He was sent the pictures from newly acquired mobile phones, in low resolution to save bandwidth. “Using phones is the only way to get their voices heard,” Cassey told us.
Below, we’ve published some of the photos taken inside the detention centre. For the full story, check out our latest issue, which is available in the DG shop.
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