Detention, by Decree Part 2

Part 2: Battles, Hope and Love

Fast Forward Ten Months

Still in Detention. Still Fighting. Still Holding On.

Here I am.

Nearly a year later, and I’m still here. Still locked up. Still waiting for justice. Still trapped in this endless bureaucratic cycle…

I’ve fought battles I never imagined.

The court case five months ago—the one I spent months preparing for. The best barristers in the Immigration business came forward to support the case on a pro bono basis. The belief in my case has been huge. The online petitions that gathered over a thousand signatures. The community support that came from places I never expected. The media reports that exposed the bewilderment of it all.

Yet, despite all the noise, all the outcry, I remain behind these walls.

There is a strange loneliness that comes with indefinite detention. It’s not just the physical separation from the world outside; it’s the uncertainty that eats away at you. The never-ending limbo. The waiting. Not knowing if tomorrow will bring freedom—or another rejection, another cruel twist in an already punishing saga.

I think about my daughter every day. About how much she’s grown in these ten months. About the milestones I’ve missed—the school events, the birthdays, Christmas, New Year’s, the small but irreplaceable moments of her life that I should be there for. The thought of her waking up on Christmas morning without me there, or celebrating another birthday with an empty chair at the table, is almost unbearable.

I thought those days were over—the ones spent away from her, missing out, feeling like a ghost in her world. But here we are again.

Then there’s my mother. My sisters. My family, who have endured every twist and turn of this nightmare with me. They fight alongside me, but I know the toll it takes on them. The stress, the sleepless nights, the constant worry. I can hear it in their voices when we speak, even though they try to be strong for me.

I am still in Australia. Still detained in a country that once told me I had earned my place back, only to rip it away again when it suited them. A political pawn in a game I never chose to play.

But in the unlikeliest of places, I found something unexpected.

I found love.

Something I didn’t think could exist in a place like this.

In the strangest of circumstances, through all the chaos, all the suffering—I found someone who sees me. Who reminds me that I’m more than just a detainee, more than just a case number. Someone who makes me laugh even on the worst days, who makes this place feel a little less like a prison and more like… something meant to be.

Destiny? I think so.

They say love can find you in the strangest places and at the strangest times. The one amazing thing to come out of all this is her. My daring.

But nothing about this journey has been easy… or conventional.

The roller coaster of emotions that comes with every new hope, every new setback. The daily mental battle of holding on, of staying strong. The resilience it takes to wake up every morning and not let this place break me. The longing to be free.

And through it all—fitness has kept me sane.

In a place where they try to take everything from you, I’ve taken control of my own body, my own strength.

The iron doesn’t lie. The weights don’t judge.

The discipline of training—of pushing myself, of feeling my muscles burn and my heart pound—it’s been my escape. My therapy.

They can lock me up, but they can’t take that from me.

I don’t know how this story ends.

But I do know this—I’m grateful for those who have joined me on this journey.

For every message, every letter, every sign of support.

You may not realise it, but you have kept me going. Every single act of kindness, every show of solidarity reminds me that I am not forgotten. That there are people out there who believe in me, who see the injustice for what it is, and who refuse to stay silent.

I look forward to sharing more stories with you, past and present. It’s been a wild ride. Jump on board if you dare.

And if nothing else, I hope that everyone reading these stories will take a moment to reflect.

To be grateful for the simple things—the warmth of a hug, the sound of laughter, the freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want.

To be with the people you love the most is not to be taken for granted.

Trust me on this.

Because you never truly know what you have—

Until it’s taken from you.

And when that happens?

All you can do is fight like hell to get it back.