Prison Island

The Debrief

You wouldn’t expect a 19-year-old to write “we are ready to die” when filling out a form.

That’s exactly what happened in August 2017, when Maryam, a young Iranian refugee, put pen to paper on Nauru island, where the Australian government runs an offshore processing camp for asylum seekers. People being held there have long complained of horrendous, prison-like conditions.

Journalists are banned from the camp, but we managed to get through to Maryam to find out how someone so young can come to be so broken. We also spoke to people who’ve worked with refugees on Nauru and who tell the story of incredible abuse.

On The Debrief: Hyojin Park, Al Jazeera producer who documented Maryam’s story. The host is Yasir Khan. Follow them on Twitter: @hyojinparkh / @khanundrum