SBS Arabic 24 spoke with the Sudanese asylum seeker after he was named as the , Switzerland on Wednesday.
Mr Muhamat has been on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea since 2013 after his boat was intercepted by Australian authorities.
Despite being granted a temporary visa to travel to Switzerland, he said he wouldn’t be making an attempt to seek asylum in that country, saying such a move would be “jumping a queue” ahead of others held in detention on Manus and Nauru.
"I came here to participate in the conference and go back to Manus,” he said.
“I came here to be the voice of the detainees in Manus and Nauru, I don’t want to seek asylum in Switzerland. I just want the international community to be aware of our struggle.
“I want to tell the Australian government that I am going back to Manus to wait in the queue because we are not what they accused us of. We are not queue jumpers.”
Mr Muhamat said receiving the award was an out of body experience and he didn’t “feel alive” on the podium.
“I was in a different world and I was shocked to see how people are living,” he said.
“I never thought I would leave Manus, [leaving] wasn’t even a dream. I came here to share my story and the voice of all the detainees in Manus and Nauru. The message is we are here, we are detained and we are facing torture.”
Refugee advocates on Friday voiced concerns that it would be
Mr Muhamat said what happened with him was an “historic event” and gave him the platform to “spread the story” of others held in detention for seeking asylum.
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore (L), and Prize winner, Sudanese Abdul Aziz Muhama, poses with his award. Source: AAP
“It’s a great honour for me to tell the international community that we are here, we exist,” he said.
“I don’t think my win of the prize will change anything but it will shed a light on the Manus and Nauru situation. I hope it will make the International community realise our situation and see what is happening to us.
“I don’t think there is a time frame for our detention to end or our situation to change. We were brought to Manus and Nauru by force, they never tell us what is going to happen to us and we were so shocked to be detained and how inhumane the situation is.”
The comments come after the Australian House of Representatives and the Senate passed amendments to the Migration Act 1958 that would allow for the medical evacuation of asylum-seekers from Manus Island and Nauru.
These amendments, also known as the , came amid a since the regional processing centre on Manus Island's Lombrum Naval Base closed in October 2017.
“We have a humanitarian crisis on Manus and Nauru, a medical crisis, five to six people attempt suicide every day,” he said.
“I am so honoured and we all are on Manus and Nauru to be part of the reason for a change, the new law gives us hope that at least our right of medical attention is granted."
Mr Muhamat said he would remain in Switzerland until February 23, where he plans to meet with officials and refugee advocates to “draw attention to our situation as much as possible”.
