By Tokana Hasavi Jr
The key witness to the killing of Iranian asylum seeker Reza Barati, at the Manus Island detention centre last year says he is not safe and experiences constant intimidation.
Witness Benham Satah told the National Court last month that he’d been threatened since giving a statement about seeing Barati killed in a riot.
“I don’t feel safe here because security already killed my best friend and they proved they can’t provide security for anyone in here and they are trying to agitate everyday by exposing me to locals” Satah said in a telephone interview to Radio Australia.
Joshua Kaluvia, who worked with the Salvation Army, and Louie Efi, understood to be employed with G4S, are both charged with willful murder over Barati’s death – both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Satah, who is also an Iranian asylum seeker, told the court he needed protection if he was to testify against Kaluvia and Efi.
The lawyer representing Satah, Ben Lomai, told EMTV News this afternoon a formal protection order from the public prosecutor is yet to be given.
The case has been adjourned to next month.
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