Negotiations held with the Ministry of Justice regarding the death of Mr. ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ

On March 22, ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ (Ghanaian national) was deported at government expense.
He died on board the aircraft.

The bereaved family and friends, APFS representative Jotaro Kato, and two other people attended the meeting to discuss the incident.
On June 11th, we held negotiations with the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice.
This negotiation was made possible with the assistance of the Office of House of Representatives Member Ryoichi Hattori.
Five members of the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice attended, including Mr. Ishioka, Chief of the Adjudication Division.

APFS and the bereaved families made the following three requests:
1. Please reveal the truth behind the death of Mr. ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ
2. Please approve the expenses for family members to accompany the body of Mr. ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ when it is repatriated.
3. Please explain why the retrial of Mr. ABUBAKAR AWUDU SURAJ was not started.

Regarding 1.,
- There were 10 people involved in escorting Mr. Suraj at Narita Airport.
・The towel used during the arrest belonged to an immigration official.
has been revealed.

The Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice
"We are cooperating with the police investigation and cannot comment on the incident."
I repeated the same old words.
When we presented the information we had, the above finally became clear.
That was the situation.

The family said they simply wanted to know how Suraj's final moments took place.
He complained that...
Despite this, the response from the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice showed no progress.

In order to clarify the truth of the incident,
The family and APFS have requested a response in writing.
The Ministry of Justice's Immigration Bureau has promised to "consider" the matter.

Regarding point 2,
The response was that they would only cover the costs of disposing of the body and transporting it to Ghana.
In addition, the expenses incurred by family members to accompany the deceased to Ghana were not approved.
It is not possible for the family to accompany the body to check whether it has been delivered safely.
It is the right of the bereaved family.
The bereaved family and APFS are not satisfied with the above response.
We have requested the Ministry of Justice's Immigration Bureau to reconsider the matter.

Regarding point 3,
Based on the High Court ruling (plaintiff lost),
It was stated that the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice did not open a retrial.

Much of the truth has yet to be revealed.
The bereaved families and APFS will continue to work together to uncover the truth.