Mohammad 'Joy' Miah stares numbly at the white walls of his room in the Park Hotel in Melbourne, a cramped space that has been his prison for the last two years.
He is one of the dozens of refugees trapped in limbo in the makeshift detention facility, awaiting news of resettlement.
"I'm spending my time 24/7 in a room. My life is a room. It is very, very tough to spend all our time here," Mr Miah told 9news.com.au.
"I am mentally ill and physically ill because of this torture and conditions. I have no access to things every human being wants like natural light and fresh air."
READ MORE: US puts 8500 troops on alert amid Russia-Ukraine tensions
Mr Miah said he was forced to leave his home country, Bangladesh, in 2013.
Fleeing the country by boat, he made the dangerous journey from Indonesia to Christmas Island, before spending seven years in detention on Nauru, living in a hot, cramped, and fan-less tent with 48 other people.
Two years ago, Mr Miah was brought to Australia for medical attention and then transferred to the Park Hotel, which made international headlines this year for housing tennis world No.1 Novak Djokovic during his Australian visa battle.
But Mr Miah says, unlike the tennis star, there is no quick fix for the refugees left behind, who face potentially years, or a lifetime, in Australian detention.
"We just want freedom. We did not come to play tennis. We want to be free and we want a life like a normal person," he said.
"I didn't do any crime. Why am I still here? What is the difference between them and me?"
To pass the time Mr Miah reads history books and watches tv, but says life in the hotel is debilitating.
Last month, he and several other refugees found maggots in their food. When a fire broke out in the hotel weeks earlier they were confined to the ground floor without evacuating the building and then returned to their rooms.
READ MORE: Aboriginal flag 'freed' for public use in $20m government deal
Asher Hirsch, a policy adviser for the Refugee Council of Australia, said Australia's immigration laws were arbitrary and inhumane, adding that indefinite detention is considered illegal under international human rights law.
"Australia is the only country in the world to have mandatory indefinite detention of people who don't have a visa," Mr Hirsch said.
"A lot of experts have talked about the effect of indefinite detention on people's mental health. The most damaging part of this policy is people never know when they will be released, it could be tomorrow or in another nine years."
As of September 30, 2021, there were 1459 people in detention facilities, including temporary holding centre's like the Park Hotel. On October 31 2021, there were 128 people in offshore detention centres like Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
Each refugee in hotel-style detention costs the Australian government an average of $471,493 each year, according to the Refugee Council of Australia. That is over $15 million a year for the Park Hotel's now 32 detainees alone.
Mr Hirsche said Djokovic's case highlighted the immense powers held by Immigration Minister Alex Hawke.
"All the refugees in the Park Hotel or other hotels, or even off-shore could be released today if the Minister wanted to do so with those discretionary powers," he said.
"One thing it has highlighted is that enormous power in the hands of one person.
"Unlike Djokovic, these people came here seeking safety. For refugees they have no other option but to come to Australia because they face war and persecution at home."
READ MORE: COVID-positive Queensland man died waiting for ambulance
A spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs defended Australia's immigration policy, adding that those arriving to Australia by boat would never be granted permanent resettlement.
"The public interest powers are non-compellable. Ministers are not required to exercise their powers and what is in the public interest is a matter for the Minister to determine," the statement read.
"These policies have successfully stemmed the flow of illegal maritime ventures to Australia, disrupted people smuggling activities in the region and prevented loss of life at sea."
The spokesperson added people in Australia's detention facilities were required to remain there until granted visa permission to remain in Australia, or elsewhere, or returned to an off-shore facility.
But many people like Mr Miah still believe a brighter future is possible.
"People know about our situation here, the Australian people know," he said.
"I'm waiting for my freedom and for my news. Freedom is beautiful for every human being. I still have hope this will happen for me."
