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On the 22nd of March 2010, Mr. Abubakar Awudu Suraj (referred to as Mr. Suraj below), died during a forced deportation. On December of the same year a procedure was started against the 10 Immigration Officers that were present during the deportation for special cruelty acts by public employees. 2 years and 4 months after the incident, on the 3rd of July 2012, the Chiba’s district public prosecutor’s office released a decision of non-prosecution with no suspicion regarding the 10 Immigration Officers. Mr. Suraj’s death was said to be caused by a heart tumor he was bearing for a long time, and the coercive acts (along with the use of non-official tools and objects to force him) of the Officers present during the deportation were regarded as to be unrelated with his death.

Even though the cause of the death remains unclear, we bear very heavy doubts about the discovery of the heart tumor by the prosecutor’s office. Even if he had a heart tumor, it is very difficult to believe that the coercive acts have nothing to do with his death. The very fact that the Immigration Officers stopped the video recording during the deportation leads us to suspect that it is because they didn’t wanted to leave any record of the cruel acts they were performing. It is very clear that they are worth of being prosecuted. We believe that the decision of non-prosecution of the Immigration Officers, fellow public employees of the Prosecutor, is a very accommodating decision and a distortion of the reality. The bereaved family of Mr. Suraj also claimed for a severe punishment. Please examine the case very closely, and we hope you will decide on a forced prosecution.

Petition (Signature collection sheet) is available as below (Please click.)
Petition for the prosecution of the Immigration Officers who are responsible of the death of Mr. Suraj during his forced deportation

Deadline : 31/10/2012
Contact : ASIAN PEOPLE’S FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY (A.P.F.S)
Tokyo-to, Itabashi-ku, Oyama Higashi-chou 56-6-301
Fax: 03-3579-0197