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ZWC_yamada On March 22nd (holiday) at 3:31 PM, Mr. Abubagar Awudu Suraj (Ghanaian national), whom our organization had been supporting, became motionless on the plane he was on when the Tokyo Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice attempted to deport him from Narita Airport. He passed away at a hospital within the same airport to which he was transported.
It has been reported that when officials from the Tokyo Immigration Bureau's Narita Airport branch restrained Mr. Abubagar Awudu Suraj on the plane, he became lethargic. It has also been revealed that handcuffs and a towel were used to restrain him.
APFS, together with the bereaved family, submitted a protest to the Ministry of Justice on Thursday, March 25th. The Ministry of Justice insisted that "the investigation is being left to the police," and did not offer a sufficient explanation or a single word of apology to the bereaved family. How does the Ministry of Justice view the life of a human being? We demand a full explanation from the Ministry of Justice and an apology from Minister of Justice Keiko Chiba.
*The letter that SURAJ wrote before his passing is available on the APFS blog.
His kind personality shines through.HereYou can view it from here.
The protest statement submitted to the Ministry of Justice is as follows:
March 25, 2010
Minister of Justice
To Ms. Keiko Chiba
ASIAN PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY
(APFS)
Protest Statement
On March 22nd, Abubagar Awudu Suraj, a Ghanaian national, died after being assaulted by security officers of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau while being deported at the bureau's expense. I feel strong anger that immigration officers, whose job it is to ensure the safe deportation of a person, would cause the death of a person seeking to remain in Japan, regardless of the reason.
ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ had a Japanese spouse with whom he had lived for many years, and he had sought special permission to stay in Japan from the Minister of Justice. ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ had no criminal record other than violating immigration laws and had lived in Japanese society as a law-abiding citizen for over 20 years. Naturally, he deeply regretted staying in Japan in violation of immigration laws and had submitted a letter of apology to the Immigration Bureau. Last July, the Ministry of Justice - Immigration Bureau published "Guidelines on Special Permission to Stay," and according to these guidelines, ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ should have been granted special permission to stay. However, the Immigration Bureau stubbornly refused to grant ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ permission to stay in Japan.
Last May, Abubagar Awudu Suraj was detained again, but he refused to return to Japan, wanting to live with his beloved wife. During this time, his wife suffered greatly and was in a mentally unstable state, unable to survive without the support of her husband, Abubagar Awudu Suraj. Completely unaware of this situation, Chief Nagaoka and the enforcement department of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau mercilessly forced Abubagar Awudu Suraj's deportation at public expense. Since July of last year, Chief Nagaoka has detained people who are in the process of applying for refugee status or whose cases are pending 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.
Given the recent reckless disregard for human rights by the Tokyo Immigration Bureau's enforcement department, it is impossible to avoid concluding that the death of Abubagar Awudu Suraj was not a coincidence but an inevitable consequence. When I consider the anguish of Abubagar Awudu Suraj, who met a tragic end in a foreign land, leaving behind his beloved wife, I feel not sorrow, but strong anger towards the Tokyo Immigration Bureau. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice and the Minister of Justice bear a grave responsibility for their oversight. We strongly protest this outrageous act and demand a thorough investigation to prevent recurrence, as well as punishment for those involved in the killing and those responsible.
That's all.