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Tokyo, Japan (Jan 13) - Six Kurdish
asylum-seekers, whose identities were revealed to
Turkish authorities in 2004 along with those of
eight of their family members, reapplied for refugee
status Thursday at the Tokyo Regional Immigration
Bureau in Minato Ward.
The six Kurdish men had previously sought refugee
status between 1996 and 2001, but all were turned
down and they have been issued deportation orders.
The asylum-seekers have taken their cases to court,
seeking to have the decisions by the immigration
authorities reversed.
"We hope that the Justice Ministry will reconsider
its decision and recognize (the asylum-seekers) as
refugees," their lawyer, Takeshi Ohashi, told
reporters Thursday after the papers were filed.
"Because of the immigration officials' action, the
asylum-seekers have been placed in even more danger
than before," he said.
According to Ohashi, immigration officials visited
Turkey to investigate the cases of more than 10
Kurdish asylum-seekers. Their identities were
disclosed to Turkish authorities there, Ohashi said.
Immigration officials also "visited the homes and
villages of the asylum-seekers with (members of) the
Turkish military or the police," he said.
Last month, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations
issued a warning -- the strongest admonition the
group can level -- to the Justice Ministry over the
2004 probe conducted in Turkey. The federation
stressed that leaking personal information to the
Turkish government could infringe on the rights of
the asylum-seekers and put them in danger.
"The Japan Federation of Bar Associations recognized
the graveness of this issue," Ohashi said. The
federation "stated that (the investigation in
Turkey) was a serious human rights violation."
Ohashi added that he and other supporters of the
Kurdish asylum-seekers collected 7,500 signatures on
a petition asking the Justice Ministry to either
recognize the Kurds as refugees or issue them
special residence permits. Ohashi said he plans to
submit the petition to the ministry in the near
future.
www.japantimes.co.jp
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