Support for admission to Junior High School - Night Classes

 A.P.F.S. supports the admission of children residing in Japan to Junior High School - Night Classes. On March 1, as a volunteer, I accompanied a 17-year-old man from Bangladesh to the Setagaya Misyuku Junior High School - Night Class to take an entrance interview. As a result of the interview test, admission from April 6th was admitted. 

He will be graduating from the school after taking classes in Japanese for one year and other subjects in the second year. After graduating, some will go on to High School. Some of Japanese who were unable to complete compulsory education and to fully study at Junior High School for some reason are studying at the night class.

I was deeply impressed by the kind and patient response of the teachers to him who could not fully understand Japanese. At the same time, I was impressed with Japan's education system. 

I am looking forward to seeing how much his Japanese level will improve in half a year and a year later. 

Today, I did the procedure of the provisional release at the Yokohama District Immigration Bureau

 As always, finding a guarantor for provisional release is a high hurdle for detainees. When we hear the guarantor, I think that Japanese people generally have a scary impression, such as being forced to take over their debts if they make a mistake. Another factor to avoid becoming guarantor is the need to submit private documents such as resident card, taxation certificate, and balance certificate to the Immigration Bureau. Moreover, the Yokohama District Immigration Bureau this time requires the submission of copy of the family register and resume in addition to the documents required for provisional release at the detention facilities at Shinagawa and Ushiku, so it is more difficult to ask for a guarantor to show the guarantor’s family relationship, educational background, and even work history to the immigration bureau.

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For the time being, I was able to complete today’s procedure without any problems. While looking sideways at the sea, I will return to the office in Itabashi, where the sky is narrow. 

Member is volunteering today

 It’s been a year since we updated our blog. 

Today, the member who has completed the provisional release renewal at the Immigration Bureau is volunteering at our office. 

It takes a lot of time and effort to send our newsletters for times a year. Most of volunteers are at home now because of the corona, so we are doing our best with only small number of staffs, but it takes longer than usual to send. 

A strong helper came today and we are really saved ♪ 

Appearing on the JafriQ Radio

 I have been on a radio program called JafriQ Radio once a month since last month.

Radio from run by persons from Ghana provides a variety of information from entertainment to news. It is heard mainly by Africans living in Japan and abroad.

Last month. I mainly talked about visa application procedure in Japan. We broadcast last week of this month, but we plan to talk about refugee application in two parts, next month. 

The broadcasting is available in three languages, Japanese, English and Ghana. It is very exciting (?), such as comments from listeners during the broadcast.

After hearing this broadcast, APFS office was contacted by South Africa the other day, and I felt that the impact was great. We hope that this radio will convey information about status of residence in Japan, which is difficult to understand, to those who require it.

If you are interested in this, please take a look here !　https://www.jafriqradioonline.com/

Reporting from Suraj's members of the attorney team

After the result of the Suraj's supreme court, the attoreny members issued the report below regarding this lawsuit.  

Reporting on the result of the lawsuit for state compensation

To whom it may concern,

With regard to the lawsuit demanding state compensation for the death of Mr. Suraj occurred during state funded deportation, we made an appeal on February 1, 2016 to the Supreme Court, as well as a request for the acceptance of the case. Unfortunately, on November 9^th, at the 2nd Small Court of the Supreme Court, we were given the decisions that the appeal had been rejected and the request for the acceptance of the appeal had not been accepted, hence as a result, it was established that the plaintiff had ultimately lost the case. There was no substantial mentioning of the reasons for the decision, only the following were stated: “In a civil law case, a Supreme Court appeal is permitted only in case of provisions provided in the Civil Suit Act Article 312 Section 1 and 2, so given the fact that the reason for appeal in this case is stated as unconstitutionality, the argument itself is actually concerned only with factual errors and mere violation of legislation, hence it clearly does not fall under the above provisions.” and “In accordance with the reason for objection in this case, the need for acceptance of this case is not recognized according to the Civil Suit Act Article 1 Section 1”.

Without showing any resistance, Mr. Suraj was surrounded and carried on the plane by several immigration officers who used legally unregulated tools such as gags, leg cuffs, and zip ties. He was strongly forced into a forward leaning position which lead to the worst outcome, namely his death. Yet, in the end, the judiciary has not recognized the state’s responsibility. Extensive restraints and pressure was applied to him that lead to his death, still the unlikely decision has been legally established that the sole reason was a disease he already had. We, the members of the attorney team are deeply outraged by this outcome of injustice. Moreover, if we think that this result has been reached approximately six and a half years after Mr. Suraj’s death, about five years after filing the suit for state compensation, we do not even know how to describe the sorrow that we feel towards Mr. Suraj and his family. While such actions led to the unthinkable outcome of one person losing his life during deportation, under the current situation, it is still difficult to say that any more considerations are given in practice of immigration control system to detainees’ and deportees’ human rights than before. Regarding the administration of immigration control, it would be extremely necessary to make considerations that human rights do not get violated and that mechanism are put in place that make it possible to constantly monitor the legality and validity of implementation by video recording of the full deportation process, especially if we think of the enormous effects that it can have on the deportee’s life, body, and freedom.

While the members of the attorney team express their appreciation to everyone who has been giving us tremendous support, we also would like to aim for the eradication of human rights abuse from immigration control administration, hopefully with continuous cooperation from you.

Members of the attorney team

message from Suraj's widow

Dear Supporters,

Thank you for your continued concern with regard to the incident of Abubakar Awudu Suraj.

On November 9^th the High Court, under judge Hiroyuki Kanno, rejected the appeal of Suraj’s mother against the overturning of the ruling of Tokyo District Court by the Tokyo High Court.

It has been more than 6 years since my husband died. The trial has made me face the reality of his death and on numerous occasions I have felt close to losing my strength to carry on.

But despite this I was able to receive courage to carry on from all of those who came to give their support by observing the court case and the sharing of your kind words. I would not have been able to have continued upon this long path without you and am deeply grateful to you all.

While my husband can not be brought back to us, in order to prevent his death from being in vain, I have taken this route in order to stop such death from happening once again. Despite your kind support we have not achieved the desired result and this is sorely disappointing.

We have fought together for justice, but at the decision of the supreme court it has been judged that a re-trial is not necessary to deal with the significant issues left behind by this case. This has left me in much pain and uncertainty.

Even though the result is bitter we have through the process identified many details of the incident, the video tape of Suraj's forced return has been screened in court and we have been able to see the 6 immigration officers, and this has been most important to me and his relatives. Due to all of your support we were able to ascertain the relation between the immigration officers’ forceful handling of my husband and his death, and the fact that we won in the district court has allowed us to make some small impression upon the Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Bureau.

In order to prevent such sacrifice of life in the future I believe that those responsible for this incident, the Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Bureau must never forget my husband’s death. This wound will never heal for the rest of my life, but I hope to continue work towards Suraj’s hope, as expressed in his words “I want to help everyone”, and in aid of this I would be grateful if you would continue to speak of this incident for long into the future.

I am truly grateful for all of your warm support over this long period. I thank you from my heart. And I hope you continue to recall Abubakar Awudu Suraj for a moment now and then.

Please take good care of yourselves.

Yours sincerely

Suraj’s Widow

Report for 17th Bangladesh Boishakhi mela and Curry Festival 2016

17th Bangladesh boishakhi mela and curry festival was held on 17th, April, in Ikebukuro Nishiguchi Park. Although it was raining in the morning, fifteen Bangladesh curry booths as well as many other booths, like for Bangladesh traditional clothes and accessories, were there. 

In addition, some performers sang and danced Bangladesh traditional New Year’s songs on the stage at the center of the park. In this event, APFS held a free consultation space for those foreigners, having problems, such as for their visa, education, and job search. As a result, many foreigners visited us and consulted their problems. Three volunteers, including me Igarashi, joined this as flyer distributors. I am really glad to have this chance to talk to Bangladeshi, whom I do not know much about. I was amazed how cheerful and polite they are as well as their fluent Japanese skills. At the same time, however, I also felt strong necessity of help for those foreigners after hearing their concerns. Power from one person is little, but it would become bigger if everyone gets together. If you could not come to the festival this time, please join next year. Your world will be widened.