A refugee activist in Australia says six protesters at the Australian-run asylum seeker detention camp on Nauru were left unconscious yesterday after being beaten by guards.
Ian Rintoul says the guards' action was a brutal response to a protest by the camp inmates.
He says the protest came after about 50 Palestinians, Sudanese and Lebanese asylum seekers, who were recently transferred from Christmas Island, were addressed by Australian government officials.
Mr Rintoul says the asylum seekers were told that it would take at least six months before they would meet lawyers to consider their claims for refugee status.
He says the inmates staged a protest prompting a brutal response from the Wilson Security detention guards.
Mr Rintoul says the Refugee Action Coalition is calling for a full inquiry and the guards to be held accountable for their actions.
