Australia is reeling after footage was aired on TV showing guards tear-gassing teenage inmates of a detention centre and strapping a half-naked, hooded boy to a chair.
Australia is reeling after footage was aired on national TV showing guards tear-gassing teenage inmates and strapping a half-naked, hooded boy to a chair.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbell called for an inquiry into abuses at the Darwin detention centre, but resisted calls to broaden its scope to cover other territories.
“These inquiries are most effective when the terms of reference are clearly defined and they get in, make a thorough inquiry and make a report. Long running, you know, Royal Commissions that go on for years and years and years, in my experience, are disappointing,” he said.
The CCTV footage was shot between 2010 and 2014. Lawyers for two of the boys said all six of those abused were of aboriginal descent.
The news has sparked renewed criticism of the country’s treatment of Aborigines and their high rates of incarceration.