
On March 31, 2014, the state appealed the earlier ruling in the Suraj case for state compensation.
On March 19, 2014, the Tokyo District Court ruled in the Suraj case for state compensation lawsuit that the immigration officials' actions against Suraj were "illegal" and that Suraj "died of suffocation" as a result of their illegal restraining actions. This ruling was a groundbreaking decision that completely rejected the view of the Chiba District Public Prosecutors Office, which found that the cause of Suraj's death was heart disease and did not indict the immigration officials, and the Ministry of Justice, which said that the restraining actions by the immigration officials were lawful.
After the district court ruling, Suraj's wife, the support group APFS, and other supporters of Suraj's case started a petition to ask the government to accept the ruling sincerely and not appeal. The media also picked up on the ruling, calling into question the immigration administration. Members of the Diet also took notice of the problematic nature of this case, and some of them urged the government not to appeal.
Turning its back on such public opinion, the government decided to appeal. This ruling should have been an opportunity to fundamentally improve immigration administration. It can be said that the government squandered that opportunity and appealed solely out of national pride. Suraj's wife and the support group APFS strongly protest this appeal.
April 1, 2014
Suraj's wife
ASIAN PEOPLE'S FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY (APFS)
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