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apfseditor At 15:31 on March 22nd (National Holiday), ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ (Ghanaian national), who was being supported by our organization, became motionless on the plane he was on when the Tokyo Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice attempted to forcibly deport him from Narita Airport, and he died in the hospital at the airport where he was taken.
When ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ was restrained by staff from the Narita Airport branch of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, he collapsed. It has been revealed that handcuffs and a towel were used to restrain him.
On Thursday, March 25th, APFS, together with the bereaved family, submitted a protest to the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice insisted that it was "leaving the investigation to the police," and did not provide a sufficient explanation or even a single apology to the bereaved family. What does the Ministry of Justice think about the life of a single human being? We demand a full explanation from the Ministry of Justice and an apology from Justice Minister Keiko Chiba.
*The letter written by SURAJ before he passed away is published on the APFS blog.
You can feel his kind personality.HereYou can view it from here.
The protest statement submitted to the Ministry of Justice is as follows:
March 25, 2010
Minister of Justice
Dear Keiko Chiba,
ASIAN PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY
(APFS)
Statement of protest
On March 22nd, ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ, a Ghanaian national, died after being assaulted by security officers from the Tokyo Immigration Bureau while being deported at government expense by the bureau. I feel strong anger that immigration officers, who should be safely deporting people, would cause the death of someone who was seeking residence, regardless of the reason.
ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ has a Japanese spouse with whom he has lived for many years, and requested the Minister of Justice to grant him a special residence permit. Apart from violating the Immigration Control Act, ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ has no criminal record and has lived in Japanese society as an upstanding citizen for over 20 years. He naturally deeply regrets having stayed in Japan in violation of the Immigration Control Act, and submitted a letter of apology to the Immigration Bureau. In July of last year, the Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Bureau published the "Guidelines for Special Residence Permission," and in light of this, ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ should have been granted a special residence permit. However, the Immigration Bureau stubbornly refused to grant ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ permission to stay.
In May of last year, ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ was detained again, but he refused to return home, wanting to live in Japan with his beloved wife. During this time, his wife was in a state of emotional distress and mental instability, unable to survive without the support of her husband, ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ. Without any understanding of this situation, the enforcement department of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, led by Chief Nagaoka, mercilessly forced the deportation of ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ at government expense. Since July of last year, Chief Nagaoka has been detaining those who are applying for refugee status or are currently in court, and has repeatedly made threatening statements that if they do not agree to return to Japan, both mother and child will be detained.
Considering the recent reckless disregard for human rights shown by the enforcement division of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau, we have no choice but to conclude that Abubakar Awadu Suraj's death was not a coincidence, but something that was bound to happen. When I think of the regrettable situation of Abubakar Awadu Suraj, who died an untimely death in a foreign land, leaving behind his beloved wife, I feel more anger toward the Tokyo Immigration Bureau than sadness. At the same time, the supervisory responsibility of the Ministry of Justice and the Minister of Justice is grave. We strongly protest this outrageous act and demand that the truth be revealed to prevent a recurrence, and that those involved in the murder and those responsible be punished.
End