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A Kurdish asylum-seeker, recognized as a mandate
refugee by the United Nations, was released from the
Immigration Bureau in Tokyo's Minato Ward late
Thursday evening after having been detained for four
days, his lawyer said.
The provisional release -- which must be renewed
every 30 days -- came a day after the man's lawyer
applied for the release of the Kurd, whose name has
been withheld.
Although no explanation was given by the Immigration
Bureau, lawyer Takeshi Ohashi told a news conference
Friday that he thinks the Justice Minister took into
consideration the fact that the Kurd was in the
middle of appealing to the Supreme Court for asylum
and that he has mandate-refugee status.
Earlier this week, Justice Minister Chieko Noono
told a news conference that the Immigration Bureau
had not been notified that the man had appealed to
the Supreme Court.
The Kurdish asylum-seeker said at the Friday news
conference that immigration officials did not bother
to check whether he was in the middle of a lawsuit
or not.
The Kurd, in his 40s, arrived in Japan in 1997 but
his application for refugee status, on the grounds
that he feared persecution in his home country of
Turkey, was rejected by the Immigration Bureau.
Although the Tokyo District Court recognized him as
a refugee, the Tokyo High Court last month reversed
the lower court ruling. An appeal has been filed
with the Supreme Court.
"There is no doubt that I will be incarcerated and
persecuted if I am sent back" to Turkey, the Kurdish
asylum-seeker said, explaining that he had been
involved in activities to increase Kurdish rights in
Turkey.
The Japan Times
http://www.japantimes.co.jp
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