TORTURE, electrocution, extermination – these are lessons no child should ever have to learn about.
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In dramatic and painful detail, first-time author Robin de Crespigny described the harrowing true story of Iraqi, Ali Al Jenabi to students at the Scots School yesterday.
Ms de Crespigny’s book, The People Smuggler, tells the story of Ali, who fled Saddam Hussein’s regime and Iraq’s most dehumanising prison – Abu Ghraib.
Year 12 students Meredith Spence, Lucy Blackmore and Sophie Ireland were among the cohort left speechless by the talk.
“I didn’t really know what to expect ... the sheer scale and detail about it was really disturbing,” Sophie said. “It’s interesting to see a personal side of it.”
The girls said they had all heard of asylum seekers, refugees and boat people through the media – but had never heard such a personal account of the situation before.
Ms de Crespigny told the students of Ali’s four years in jail and his accounts of regular torture and executions – many of which he said had no reason behind them.
“He lived in a cell with 30 people, but there was only enough room for 26 people to lay down to sleep,” she said.
Ms de Crespigny described emaciated prisoners who had broken bones, and cuts from torture that would not heal due to lack of medical treatment.
“I’d heard a lot about it but I was surprised by how sheltered our points of view,” Meredith said.
Lucy said she was surprised by how few refugees were let into Australia – 13,700 a year according to Ms de Crespigny.
“I studied human rights before and I’ve seen many different perspectives before,” she said.
Sophie said it is hard to ignore the political side of the story when it comes to people seeking asylum from persecution in Australia.
“We’re making a mountain out of a mole hill,” she said.
Ms de Crespigny was at The Scots School as part of a tour of the Central West organised by Amnesty International. The People Smuggler won the 25th Human Rights Award for Literature, the Queensland Literary Award and the Ned Kelly Award for True Crime. It was also a Walkley Award finalist for non-fiction.