Behrouz Boochani: Freedom, Only Freedom

2022 Wallace Wurth Lecture  

Behrouz Boochani | Omid Tofighian | Moones Mansoubi | Madeline Gleeson 

Join Kurdish-Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani live, for his first ever visit to Australia. 

If it weren’t for the consecutive Australian government’s inhuman treatment of refugees; Behrouz Boochani wouldn’t be a household name.  

The Kurdish-Iranian journalist spent six years languishing in offshore detention, during which time he witnessed those seeking asylum being exposed to conditions that grossly violated international refugee law. Behrouz Boochani’s harrowing experience led to him write No Friend but the Mountains, an urgent memoir painstakingly composed of text messages, detailing the atrocities that were happening on the government’s watch in offshore detention.  

Now, in his new book Freedom, Only Freedom, Boochani weaves critical prose with essays from experts on refugee rights, politics, literature and history to further unpack this harrowing experience.  

Following an introduction from his long-time translators and collaborators, Omid Tofighian and Moones Mansoubi, Boochani will share his stories of resilience and shed light on the shameful refugee policies that the Australian government continues to endorse.  

Freedom, Only Freedom can be purchased here. 

This event is presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas and supported by the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law and the Refugee Advice & Casework Service.