Asylum seekers on Nauru, including children, have stitched their lips shut in protest at being held in detention for more than a year and at plans to move them to Cambodia.

In a video seen by Guardian Australia, six boys and men appear seated in a tent in a Nauru detention centre, with their lips crudely sewn shut.

A man off-camera says: “These people are some of the migrants who arrived on Australian territory after the 19th of July. At the moment they reside offshore on Nauru in family camp. They have sewed their lips in protest at the new laws that Australia has imposed.”

The Guardian has chosen not to show the video in order to protect the men’s identities.

“Some of them are under 18. There are 10 more people who have done this, but they did not want to be filmed,” the man says in the video.

Guardian Australia has been told that at least one of the men has been taken to hospital after refusing all food and water for more than 48 hours.

Protests are continuing daily in Nauru over what asylum seekers say is discriminatory and cruel treatment.

The immigration minister Scott Morrison introduced a bill into parliament in September to attempt to reintroduce temporary protection visas and a new form of temporary regional work visa for asylum seekers who arrived by boat.

But the proposed legislative changes will not apply to asylum seekers already offshore, who must stay on Nauru or agree to be moved to Cambodia.

A second video shows protests at the weekend involving asylum seeker men, women and children at the family detention camp.



The video shows asylum seekers standing against the perimeter fence holding placards reading “I’m tired, please kill me” and “Only our corpses might go to Cambodia”. The protesters chant “Morrison, shame on you”. Security guards can be seen standing by, but they do not interfere in the protest.



Asylum seekers also handed over a letter addressed to the Australian high commissioner detailing their complaints. The asylum seekers’ letter said they had been dumped on the island “like rubbish” and treated “like animals”.

“The Australian government has driven these people to the point that they feel like they have reached the end. They feel they have nothing to lose. They want the Australian government to know that they can send us to Cambodia but only our dead bodies. They will need to kill us first.”

One protester said: “We don’t want to scare people, we don’t want to disturb anyone, we have no problem with the Nauruan people or the Nauruan government. We just want to peacefully send our message to the Australian government.”

Comment has been sought from Morrison’s office.



In a radio interview this week, Morrison said: “We don’t comment on individual cases of self-harm.



“We anticipated there would be a bit of reaction to the news that said people on Nauru would not be able to come to Australia. That was never going to be our policy and we have taken preventative measures to ensure the security of the facility on Nauru.”