Shaminda Kanapathi is a human rights activist, writer and translator who was detained by the Australian Government from 2013 to 2020 in Manus Island and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. He was granted resettlement and is currently living in Finland. During his detention in PNG he was a media spokesman for the Australian and international media and was highly active in writing, giving speeches, and addressing questions from around the world. He collected photographs and videos to document the horrific treatment and conditions endured by people imprisoned by Australia’s offshore immigration detention regime, particularly during the 2017 siege of the Manus prison camp. His writing has been published in the Guardian, Overland, The Saturday Paper, openDemocracy and Radio New Zealand. Shaminda has continued to advocate for the freedom of the remaining detainees in PNG, Nauru and Australia through his writing.