Retired 88-year-old judge offers to swap places with refugee on offshore Australian detention island

'I can no longer remain silent as innocent men, women and children are being held in appalling circumstances'

Thursday 01 September 2016 12:20 BST

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 11: Thousands of Australians join a rally organized by the Refugee Action Coalition calling for the closure of the Manus and Nauru detention centres (Getty)

A retired 88-year-old judge has offered to swap places with a refugee in one of Australia's offshore detention camps.

Jim Macken wrote a letter to Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to offer a "body swap" with a refugee on the Pacific island of Nauru or on Manus island, in Papua New Guinea, where Australia sends asylum seekers who arrive by boat.

"I understand this is an unusual request but I offer it in complete sincerity," Mr Macken wrote in his letter, seen by Australian media.

"I can no longer remain silent as innocent men, women and children are being held in appalling circumstances on Manus Island and Nauru."

 The island of Nauru, where asylum seekers who have been refused entry into Australia are sent  (Getty Images)

He added: "It is even worse that they are being held in these dangerous and inhospitable conditions in order to ensure no other asylum seekers and refugees attempt to come to Australia for protection.

"The Australian government is essentially treating refugees in these camps as human shields and this is utterly immoral.

"As this is being done in my name I cannot remain silent."

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Mr Macken also offered to relinquish his Australian citizenship if necessary, The Guardian reports.

He has reportedly not received a reply to his letter, despite sending it a month ago.

The former judge has also written to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Labor leader Bill Shorten urging them to "err on the side of compassion and justice" and end Australia's offshore processing policy.

In May, a second refugee on the island of Nauru set herself on fire days after another died in hospital from similar injuries.

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