news

A senior refugee advocate has married a 31-year-old Manus Island detainee.

A refugee advocate has married a 31-year-old Manus Island detainee, the Saturday Telegraph has revealed.

The news outlet reports Dianne Baumann and Mohsen Norozi married at the end of last year and told the paper they would live together for a “long time in the future”.

It’s unclear where Mr. Norozi is fleeing from, but it’s believed the 31-year-old has spent four years in detention after first being detained on Christmas Island. The couple now reside on Manus Island.

In response to allegations the couple only married to secure a visa, Ms Baumann said she could not understand why anyone would go to such lengths, refusing to reveal the couple’s age gap when probed.

“I don’t think that anyone would get married for a visa because that’s ridiculous,” she told News Corp reporter Sharri Markson, adding the duo will be living together for a long time.

Image: Facebook.

“Mohsen and I have known each other a long time and we’ll be sharing a house together for a long time in the future,” she said.

Mr. Norozi told the paper he's committed to caring for his wife despite their differences in age.

“I want to look after her in the future. I care about her. Is that a problem?” Norozi said, revealing he's not the only detainee on the island who has married while in detention.

It's believed the couple have spent more than two years together and plan to live in America if Australia's refugee swap with the US passes.

“I don’t care what anyone else thinks. Mohsen and I know what we think. You don’t know me," Ms Baumann said.

A journalist speaks to a Manus Island detainee through a smuggled phone.

00:00 / ???