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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Christopher Knaus

Indonesian boys jailed by Australia claim no translation provided in court

Kevin at his home in Indonesia.
Kevin at his home in Indonesia. He was 16 at the time of his arrest and says he was not given an interpreter for two remote viewings of court proceedings while he was on remand in Western Australia. Photograph: Afriadi Hikmal/The Guardian

Vulnerable Indonesian children say they were either given no interpreter or an interpreter who spoke the wrong language during deeply flawed people smuggling prosecutions, leaving them unable to understand court proceedings before their imprisonment by Australia in maximum security adult jails.

The Australian government last year agreed to pay $27.5m in compensation to more than 200 Indonesians who were wrongfully prosecuted and detained as adult people smugglers while they were children.

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