Melbourne, Australia (CNN)For months, activists have been gathering outside a run-down hotel in central Melbourne, demanding the release of dozens of refugees being held inside.
But on Friday, a different group of protesters targeted an unusual inmate: tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who is locked in the hotel as he launches a legal challenge to his visa revocation ahead of the Australian Open.
“Free Novac [sic]’ read one protester’s handwritten sign, taped to a tennis racket. “Let Novac play.”
Australian Open organizers said on Tuesday that Djokovic – who had previously criticized Covid-19 vaccine mandates – was granted a “medical exemption” to the requirement that international travelers must be fully vaccinated to enter the country.
But Djokovic arrived in Australia this week to find his visa revoked. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the 34-year-old Serb had “no valid TUE”.
Tennis Australia was advised in a letter back in November 2021 that unvaccinated players with a recent Covid-19 infection would not be allowed to enter the country due to public health guidelines, Morrison told reporters on Thursday.
Djokovic’s legal team has obtained an injunction against the decision, but it remains unclear whether the reigning Australian Open men’s singles champion will be able to play in the tournament, which begins on January 17.
Court documents released by Australia’s Federal Circuit on Saturday show Djokovic was granted a medical exemption for the competition after testing positive for Covid-19 in December. His lawyers are appealing the visa annulment and declined to comment ahead of his court hearing on Monday.
The Djokovic case has gone well beyond a single visa issue. It has sparked anger from people who feel the rich and powerful have had an easy time of it when it comes to Australia’s tough Covid-19 rules, which have been separating families for years – but they are also angry anti-vaccination opponents, who believe the coronavirus restrictions are encroaching on their civil liberties. And it has sparked concerns among the Serbian community in Australia, with some saying Djokovic is being unfairly targeted.
But Djokovic’s situation has also highlighted the plight of asylum seekers in Australia. While the tennis star is ultimately either allowed to play in the tournament or is forced to leave the country, other detainees have been locked up in the same facility for years – and face indefinite detention due to Australia’s strict immigration rules.
Widespread outrage
As dozens of protesters from different groups across the political spectrum gathered in front of the Park Hotel on Friday, one thing united them: the urge for freedom.
Some were from Serbian cultural groups, chanting and waving the Balkan country’s flag, who saw Djokovic’s imprisonment as a great injustice to one of the world’s biggest sports stars.
“I don’t see why he should be locked up in a pre-trial detention center,” said Tara, a 17-year-old Australian-Serbian junior tennis player who did not give a last name. “Everyone has their own freedom of choice, vaccinated or not.”
Djokovic, who has a record 20 men’s singles Grand Slam titles with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, has not publicly announced his vaccination status but did speak out against Covid-19 vaccines and vaccination mandates in April 2020.
Others took Djokovic’s plight as an opportunity to criticize how vaccination mandates had curtailed civil liberties.
One woman – who only gave her name as Matty for privacy reasons – said if Djokovic went home she would not see the Australian Open.
“I used to go every year – this year I can’t because of vaccination regulations,” said Matty, who added that she is not vaccinated.
Another masked person, who declined to speak to CNN, held a sign declaring Djokovic a “communist state hostage.”
However, others turned their attention to the approximately 30 refugees being held at the hotel.
The hotel, previously used by the Australian government as a Covid-19 quarantine facility, has been an alternative place of detention (APOD) for refugees and asylum-seekers for at least a year.
Almost a decade ago, Australia said no asylum seekers arriving by boat would ever be settled in the country. Hundreds have been housed in offshore processing centers for years, although some have been sent to hotels in Australia to be treated for health problems.
The refugees still have little hope of freedom, and their prison conditions are highly controversial. Tom Hardman, a 27-year-old teacher, stood outside the Park Hotel, which is marked “Free Them,” and said he had stood up for the refugees.
“I’m here because the loneliness and heartbreak these men are suffering from not knowing when they will be released is unbearable,” he said.
Oscar Sterner, 25, said he was against both anti-vaccination opponents and the way refugees are being held in detention – saying the real problem is getting an unvaccinated visitor to a hotel with refugees who needs medical help need.
“Djokovic is a multi-million dollar scumbag who has rightly drawn the ire of many people in Australia,” he said. “He can’t be bothered to get vaccinated to protect those around him.”
how it is inside
Djokovic’s supporters have criticized his treatment, with the tennis star’s mother saying her son is being “treated like a prisoner”.
“It’s so dirty and the food is so terrible,” said Dijana Djokovic at a press conference in Serbia’s capital Belgrade on Thursday. “It’s just not fair. It’s not human.”
American tennis star John Isner also tweeted in support of Djokovic, saying it was “not right” to keep him at the hotel.
“There is no justification for the treatment he is receiving. He played by the rules, was allowed to enter Australia, and now he’s being jailed against his will. It’s such a shame.”
Australia’s Home Secretary Karen Andrews said on Friday that Djokovic “is not being held prisoner” and can leave the country if he wants.
“He’s free to leave anytime, and Border Force will actually facilitate that,” Andrews told public broadcaster ABC. “It is the responsibility of the individual traveler to ensure they have all the necessary documentation required to enter Australia.”
Australia’s immigration laws allow a ban on re-entry into the country for up to three years after a visa is annulled, under certain conditions – but it’s unclear if Djokovic faces such a penalty.
In a statement on Friday, the Professional Tennis Players Association said Djokovic has confirmed his well-being.
“With the utmost respect for any personal views on vaccinations, both vaccinated athletes and unvaccinated athletes (with an approved TUE) should be allowed the freedom to compete,” said the Djokovic-co-founded federation. “We will continue to support and advocate for our members and all players in a manner acceptable to them.”
According to human rights lawyer Alison Battisson, who has four clients at the Park Hotel, visitors without the proper Australian visa are usually handcuffed and transported to an immigration detention center in an unmarked van with blacked-out windows.
“It’s an incredibly traumatic and dehumanizing process,” she said.
The Park Hotel’s video, shared with CNN, shows inmates in small rooms furnished with a double bed, a television, and a few chairs. Asylum seekers have access to a staircase that takes them to a rooftop where they can smoke. It’s unclear if Djokovic stays on the same terms.
“This is a window, we cannot open it at any time,” said Adnan Choopani, one of the detainees, in a video made for CNN.
While the hotel appears clean and well-maintained in photos taken by Choopani, there have been reports of problems in the past. Battison said there was a Covid outbreak at the facility last year and inmates have reported finding maggots in their food.
The other prisoners
For the around 30 refugees who are being held in the hotel, the media limelight on Djokovic is difficult to swallow. Many have been locked up for years – and have little hope of ever getting out.
Mehdi, who asked that only one name be used to protect his family, fled Iran at the age of 15 and has been in Australian custody for more than eight years with limited access to education or healthcare.
“I’ve done my time,” said Mehdi, who turned 24 on Friday. “We are suffering, we are exhausted and we are tired… You are on indefinite detention, which means they can hold you for as long as they can and for as long as they want.”
Choopani said he and his fellow inmates just sit in their rooms, many of them taking medication for depression. Choopani is Mehdi’s cousin and he left Iran when he was 15 too. He dreams of walking on the street or having a coffee.
“It’s incredible,” he said. “I think this is just a nightmare … we live in the 21st century, in a country that believes in democracy and will still do this kind of behavior to innocent people.”
Although it’s unclear if Djokovic will be allowed to play at Melbourne Park this month, the tennis star will eventually be released from the hotel.
Craig Foster, a former Australia national team footballer who is campaigning for asylum seekers, hopes the situation can at least bring some good.
“In a way, it’s good for the world to see how Australia treats our arrivals, whether they’re asylum seekers or refugees, or indeed an athlete like Novak who just seems to have gotten in trouble with the documents on his visa. ” he said.
“If anything, we hope this whole embarrassing saga puts Australians in a position to better understand the plight of these people.”
Add Comment