And while the premise of the show seems fictional, the true story behind the series is all too real. Stateless is actually based on a woman named Cornelia Rau, an Australian permanent resident who was unlawfully detained at an immigrant detention center in 2004here's what you need to know about Cornelia Rau's true story.
The Shocking True Story Netflix's Stateless Is Based On
Netflix's Stateless series follows four strangers whose lives intersect at an Australian immigration detention center in the middle of the desert. The strangers include an airline hostess on the run from a dangerous cult, an Afghan refugee family fleeing persecution, a young father trying to escape a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat running out of time to contain a national scandal. There's also a central story about a white Australian woman who has ended up in detention after a number of errors.
The Shocking True Story Behind 'Stateless'
Who is Cornelia Rau?
Rau was a German citizen and Australian permanent resident who arrived in Australia in 1967 when she was just 18 months old. Her family lived in Australia until 1980 when they returned to Germany, but they later returned to Australia in 1983.
As an adult, Rau worked as a flight attendant with Qantas, but in April 1998, she joined Kenja Communication , a purported self-help group that many say is actually a cult, although she was asked to leave the group six months later due to her "scattered and disorientated" behavior. In October 1998, Rau was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and she was later diagnosed with schizophrenia .
ADVERTISEMENT
Cornelia Rau with her sister Chris in happier times.
BusinessInsider USA Images
Between 1999 and 2004, Rau was hospitalized several times due to her struggle with mental illness, and she would often disappear for a few days at a time, but she would always eventually make contact to her family.
By March 2004, Rau's family planned to get a community treatment order that would force her to take Rau medication, but on March 17, she discharged herself from the Sydney-area Manly Hospital and went hitchhiking. However, some locals in the area became concerned about her safety and called the Queensland Police.
How did Cornelia Rau end up in the detention center?
ADVERTISEMENT
Rau identified herself as " Anna " to the police, and she claimed to be a tourist from Munich, but she also changed her story several times. While it was clear that Rau was clearly confused, the police contacted the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) and had her detained as a suspected unlawful non-citizen.
Rau was sent to the Brisbane Womens Correctional Centre and detained alongside convicted criminals, and while the other prisoners suspected Rau was mentally ill and tried to get her help, the prison officials largely ignored their pleas. With her mental health deteriorating, she still refused to tell authorities her real name and identity. Several flags were raised about her mental health and the strange facts of her case, but they were largely ignored.
Yvonne Strahovski as Sofie Werner, the character based on Cornelia Rau.
BusinessInsider USA Images
In October 2004, Rau was transferred to the Baxter Immigration Reception and Processing Centre, and while she was assessed by the psychologist working there, her schizophrenia went undiagnosed, and she was instead declared to have behavioral problems. She was mostly held in solitary confinement, which likely worsened her mental state.
Other chances to properly identify Rau were missed after German Consulate staff pointed out that her German language skills were "child-like" and surmised that she probably was Australian with a German background. Additionally, Rau's family had reported her as a missing person, and though the police contacted the Immigration Department, they did not make the connection to Rau.
ADVERTISEMENT
How did Cornelia Rau get out of the detention center?
On 31 January 2005, The Age newspaper published a story about Rau, titled "Mystery Woman at Baxter May be Ill." The story was seen by friends of the Rau family, and the family then contacted the New South Wales Police, who reached out to DIMIA. DIMIA officials then officially identified "Anna" as Cornelia Rau. Rau was then removed from the detention center and transported to the nearby Port Augusta Hospital. On February 4, 2005, Rau was committed to a mental health facility. In all, Rau had spent 10 months at the detention center.
The story shocked the nation, and an inquiry was launched into Rau's case, as well as the case of a woman named Vivian Alverez Solon , an Australian citizen who was deported to the Philippines in 2001, despite also being registered as a missing person by her family. In February 2008, Rau was compensated $2.6 million Australian dollars for her unlawful detention.
Cornelia Rau in 2005.
BusinessInsider USA Images
Where is Cornelia Rau now?
ADVERTISEMENT
In May 2008, Rau was granted the ability to travel overseas, but she was then held in isolation at a hospital in Hamburg after Supreme Court Justice Lucy McCallum said she was "incapable of managing her affairs, and I order her estate be managed under the (Protected Estate Act)." Her family was reportedly baffled by the decision to let her travel in the first place.
In February 2009, Rau was arrested in Jordan while behaving "errractically," and she was officially charged with failing to pay hotel and taxi bills. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs helped her to get back to Australia .
Most recently, Rau's former lawyer Claire OConnor said Rau is much happier now, and she lives in New South Wales. "She goes to classes, she takes part in the physical things she likes to do, swimming and sport," O'Connor told ABC Australia . "She's certainly in a better place than when she got out of detention."
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: news@pulselive.co.ke