Date & time： Wednesday,Oct.23,20１3 10am～
Place： Tokyo District Court, Court Room #７０６
Admission ticket is NOT required to come into the court. Please come to the room directly.
On March 22, 2010, Ghanaian citizen Abubakar Awudu Suraj, died as he was being deported from Japan. The deportation was carried out without Suraj’s consent and at government expense. Moreover, it is known that Immigration Department officials accompanying him used unauthorized items—such as handcuffs on legs, a towel, and nylon ties—to restrain him before he died.
The Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Bureau have not yet provided an official explanation as to how and why Suraj died. On August 5, 2011—in order to get closer to the truth behind Suraj’s death—Suraj’s widow launched a lawsuit claiming damages against the Japanese government and Immigration Department officials. Suraj regretted that he overstayed his visa, but he only wanted to live in Japan with his wife. Through this lawsuit, we aim to bring to light exactly why Suraj had to die.
In the next hearing, we will hear questioning to the doctors who determined the cause of Suraj’s death as heart disease.
After the hearing, we will hold a briefing session by the plaintiff’s lawyers.
Each observer in the court lends great power to this case. Please do come and join us. We look forward to seeing you there!
