Vigil for Saeed Hassanloo

Vigil for Saeed Hassanloo an Iranian asylum seekers who has being in detention since 2009 without any sign of being released. He is currently on a hunger strike of over 40 days and is unlikely to live long.Photos and Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua1Hwg_Pfds Saeed fled Iran in 2009 during major government repressions of people engaged in mass protests around the 2009 Iranian election results, which many believe to be corrupt. This included mass arrests and torture of people engaged in peaceful protests.Since coming to Australia Saeed has converted to Christianity, something that is severely persecuted in Iran.In the face off all this the Australian government has deemed Saeed to not be a refugee and won't be settled in Australia. Saying he can either live the rest of his life in detention or return to Iran, where he would surely be imprisoned and tortured.Facing the rest of his life in a detention center, which are called mental illness factories where people are called by a number and stripped of their name or return to Iran and face sever consequences. Faced with this decision Saeed has gone on hunger strike, which is now over 40 days.He is currently in Perth Royal Hospital and has now refused all fluids as well as food. He is not expected to live much longer.Refugee rights activists and supporters from a range of groups including the Uniting Church, Refugee Rights Action Network, Amnesty and the Socialist Alliance came out to support Saeed in a show of compassion. Involving singing, prayer, speeches and lighting candles to show Saeed that people still care.Without freedom how can people survive ? All Saeed is asking for is his freedom after years of being denied and imposined in mandatory detention without charge or trial he has now decided he must go on hunger strike.Saeed has also being denied the comfort of having his only living relative in Australia at his bedside as he dies. The government moved his brother away from Saeed to Christmas Island detention centre over the weekend, with the knowledge that Saeed was close to death.To stop this policy that is killing people will only occur when activists change political situation so that both major parties are forced to abandon their racist, fear mongering and scapegoating of refugees.The vigil was a strong show of support by many in the community who came to say what the Australian government is doing is wrong.Saeed Hassanloo, a 25 year old Iranian man who is simply seeking freedom and dying for this.