First letter to Khodayar

First letter                                                                                                  

                                                                                                Khodayar Amini

                                                                                                Final Camp

                                                                                                Robert Reserve

                                                                                                Dandenong   3175

Dear Khodayar, I call myself a human being and I will stand up for the rights of refugees. You suffered cruel treatments hidden behind slogans of humanity. You were tortured and were sentenced to death in a a most cruel and inhumane way. Your life was not a crime and yet you and your friends were killed for being refugees. You have a right to live, your friends have a right to live. You have the right to be treated kindly and humanely – to be treated like a human being.

Humanity is a beautiful and dignified thing. This was taken from me; you were cheated of what is yours. I wish you could have stayed in your camp by the creek in safety. I wish you could have a house and a job. I wish that you could have a life and a family, after your long journeys from danger. You earnt a chance on the water – in the many hardships that you endured.

Love Stephen Clendinnen