The detainees that Djokovic left behind
One of them is Adnan Choopani who fled from Iran. He was first taken to an offshore detention centre nine years ago.
He explains, "I come from a place called Ahvaz, it's in the south of Iran. We have been occupied by Iranian authorities so I seek asylum, me and my cousin. We were 15 and we have been holed in Christmas Island."
For decades, Australia has had a mandatory detention policy for anyone arriving without a visa. It set up offshore detention centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus island, to deter people from arriving by boat Every year it costs Australia 2.5 million U.S dollars to detain a single asylum seeker in an offshore facility. In 2019 those critically ill were evacuated for medical treatment. They were then moved to this hotel which became a makeshift detention facility.
Some have complained about conditions, including finding maggots and mould in their food.
Choopani said: "The conditions day by day are getting worse because we've been kept in a limbo. For example, the food, it's terrible. It's such low quality and we've also been served with maggots and mould in our bread.
An Australian Border Force spokesperson told Reuters they strongly refute any suggestion of mouldy bread being provided. They added that detainees have access to dedicated indoor and outdoor exercise areas.
But human rights groups say their conditions have been inhumane and costly.
Sophie McNeil from Human Rights Watch Australia said "these men were supposed to be receiving medical treatment. We have called for them to be released. But the government won't do that. What they do is use the conditions of detention as a deterrent. It's almost like they are saying we want to make an example of these people. We want to make it so bad for them so the rest of the world will see what happens if you try to come to Australia without a visa. So it is not only wrong, but it is also illegal."
The Australian government has stood firm on its policy. They have vowed that persons who travels to Australia illegally by boat will never permanently settle on Australian soil.
