The Australian government has been roundly criticised by press freedom groups after it arrested a local journalist and barred thirty others from gaining closer access to the Woomera detention camp where nearly 370 asylum seekers are on a hunger strike. The asylum seekers, mostly from Afghanistan, are protesting the poor conditions of the camp and the government's delay in processing their asylum applications.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance says that on 26 January, authorities ordered the journalists to stand behind a perimeter fence out of sight of the camp. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports that authorities had threatened to arrest the journalists if they did not leave the designated media area within 30 minutes of the order. Authorities also arrested ABC radio journalist Natalie Larkins, though she was released three hours later on condition that she leave the area immediately. Prior to that order, the journalists had been stationed in a designated media area outside the camp's front gate, giving them an uninterrupted view of the complex.

For more information, see www.ifj.org, www.rsf.org and www.hrw.org.