The Lions Eye Institute’s Dr Hessom Razavi is featured in November 2020’s Australian Book Review for his powerful essay on refugees and their journey from Tehran’s prisons to Australia’s immigration detention centres.
No stranger to being featured for his moving pieces of writing, Dr Razavi was recently awarded Australian Book Review’s Behrouz Boochani Fellowship which honours the artistry, courage and moral leadership of Behrouz Boochani, an award-winning author who was imprisoned on Manus Island for 4 years.
Dr Razavi’s essay, Failures of imagination: a journey from Tehran’s prisons to Australia’s immigration detention centres, is a compelling account of his family’s time living in Iran before fleeing the country to escape political persecution in 1983. Dr Razavi writes with conviction and a tangible sense of advocacy for humane, sustainable outcomes for vulnerable people who seek asylum in Australia.
The compelling essay contains heavy themes but is well worth the read. Read Dr Razavi’s article Failures of imagination: A journey from Tehran’s prisons to Australia’s immigration detention centres or download the article.
