Latest news with #TokyoDistrictCourt
The Mainichi
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Japan court awards asylum seekers damages over prolonged detention
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A Japanese district court has ordered the state to pay a total of 1.2 million yen ($8,260) in compensation to two asylum seekers, ruling that in some cases their repeated detentions by the country's immigration agency did not take account of their physical and mental conditions. Deniz, a Kurdish man in his 40s with Turkish nationality, and Heydar Safari Diman, an Iranian national in his 50s, sought about 30 million yen in damages, after they were detained and released several times over the space of more than a decade. They filed the lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court in 2022 focusing on their treatment from 2016. The ruling handed down on Tuesday said that on some occasions, they were detained despite deteriorating health conditions, such as a diagnosis of depression. "We cannot say the necessity of detention overrode their physical and mental disadvantages," the court said, ruling that some of their detentions violated the International Covenants on Human Rights and amounted to unjust physical restraint prohibited by Japan's immigration law. The plaintiffs also questioned the immigration law itself, which allows detention without going through a review process such as trials, saying that it infringes the human rights covenants. But the court dismissed their claim on the grounds that their rights to a trial are guaranteed through a lawsuit seeking release. Masako Suzuki, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, underscored the significance of the ruling, telling a press conference that it "clearly acknowledges that there was a violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights in the detention." The Immigration Services Agency has said it will respond "appropriately" after reviewing details of the ruling, since some of its claims were not upheld. According to the complaint, Deniz, who declined to give his surname for fear of retaliation against his family in Turkey, and Safari Diman had both overstayed their visas and were subsequently repeatedly detained by the Immigration Services Agency. From 2016 to 2020, they were detained several times for a total of more than three and a half years each, the complaint said. They have been on provisional releases since the spring of 2020, according to their supporters. Seeking help from the international community, the two had notified a U.N. expert panel on arbitrary detention of their cases, leading the panel to release an opinion in 2020 that found their deprivation of liberty was "arbitrary" and contravened human rights covenants.
Tokyo Reported
14 hours ago
- Tokyo Reported
Cambodian women sue Tochigi farmer over alleged sexual abuse
TOKYO (TR) – On Thursday, a trial began at the Tokyo District Court in which three Cambodian women who worked at a farm in Tochigi Prefecture are seeking compensation for repeated sexual abuse by the male owner. According to the lawsuit, the three Cambodian women, aged in their 20s, are seeking compensation totalling 92 million yen, reports TBS News (June 19). One woman alleges that the owner of the farm repeatedly sexually assaulted her over a roughly five-month period, threatening that she would be sent back to her home country if she refused. She also claims that after she became pregnant in January 2023 she was forced to have an abortion without having received a sufficient explanation in her native language. The sexual abuse allegedly continued even after the abortion. The other two women claim that their breasts were groped by the owner. 'I asked him to stop' The three women came to Japan in June 2022 and worked at the strawberry farm as technical intern trainees. They continued working until April 2023. The first woman came to Japan with a debt of 16,500 dollars. She told the court on Thursday, 'I was frequently called by the owner and began to be sexually assaulted. I asked him to stop, but he threatened to send me back to Cambodia, so I just endured it in silence.' She also said that when she found out she was pregnant, the hospital forced her to have an abortion. 'I'm a Buddhist, so abortion is an unforgivable sin. This also torments me,' she said. The defendants, on the other hand, are asking that the case be dismissed.
Japan Today
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Court awards 2 asylum seekers damages over prolonged detention
A Japanese district court has ordered the state to pay a total of 1.2 million yen in compensation to two asylum seekers, ruling that in some cases their repeated detentions by the country's immigration agency did not take account of their physical and mental conditions. Deniz, a Kurdish man in his 40s with Turkish nationality, and Heydar Safari Diman, an Iranian national in his 50s, sought about 30 million yen in damages, after they were detained and released several times over the space of more than a decade. They filed the lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court in 2022 focusing on their treatment from 2016. The ruling handed down on Tuesday said that on some occasions, they were detained despite deteriorating health conditions, such as a diagnosis of depression. "We cannot say the necessity of detention overrode their physical and mental disadvantages," the court said, ruling that some of their detentions violated the International Covenants on Human Rights and amounted to unjust physical restraint prohibited by Japan's immigration law. The plaintiffs also questioned the immigration law itself, which allows detention without going through a review process such as trials, saying that it infringes the human rights covenants. But the court dismissed their claim on the grounds that their rights to a trial are guaranteed through a lawsuit seeking release. Masako Suzuki, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, underscored the significance of the ruling, telling a press conference that it "clearly acknowledges that there was a violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights in the detention." The Immigration Services Agency has said it will respond "appropriately" after reviewing details of the ruling, since some of its claims were not upheld. According to the complaint, Deniz, who declined to give his surname for fear of retaliation against his family in Turkey, and Safari Diman had both overstayed their visas and were subsequently repeatedly detained by the Immigration Services Agency. From 2016 to 2020, they were detained several times for a total of more than three and a half years each, the complaint said. They have been on provisional releases since the spring of 2020, according to their supporters. Seeking help from the international community, the two had notified a U.N. expert panel on arbitrary detention of their cases, leading the panel to release an opinion in 2020 that found their deprivation of liberty was "arbitrary" and contravened human rights covenants. © KYODO
Kyodo News
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Japan court awards asylum seekers damages over prolonged detention
KYODO NEWS - 7 hours ago - 20:13 | All, Japan A Japanese district court has ordered the state to pay a total of 1.2 million yen ($8,260) in compensation to two asylum seekers, ruling that in some cases their repeated detentions by the country's immigration agency did not take account of their physical and mental conditions. Deniz, a Kurdish man in his 40s with Turkish nationality, and Heydar Safari Diman, an Iranian national in his 50s, sought about 30 million yen in damages, after they were detained and released several times over the space of more than a decade. They filed the lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court in 2022 focusing on their treatment from 2016. The ruling handed down on Tuesday said that on some occasions, they were detained despite deteriorating health conditions, such as a diagnosis of depression. "We cannot say the necessity of detention overrode their physical and mental disadvantages," the court said, ruling that some of their detentions violated the International Covenants on Human Rights and amounted to unjust physical restraint prohibited by Japan's immigration law. The plaintiffs also questioned the immigration law itself, which allows detention without going through a review process such as trials, saying that it infringes the human rights covenants. But the court dismissed their claim on the grounds that their rights to a trial are guaranteed through a lawsuit seeking release. Masako Suzuki, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, underscored the significance of the ruling, telling a press conference that it "clearly acknowledges that there was a violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights in the detention." The Immigration Services Agency has said it will respond "appropriately" after reviewing details of the ruling, since some of its claims were not upheld. According to the complaint, Deniz, who declined to give his surname for fear of retaliation against his family in Turkey, and Safari Diman had both overstayed their visas and were subsequently repeatedly detained by the Immigration Services Agency. From 2016 to 2020, they were detained several times for a total of more than three and a half years each, the complaint said. They have been on provisional releases since the spring of 2020, according to their supporters. Seeking help from the international community, the two had notified a U.N. expert panel on arbitrary detention of their cases, leading the panel to release an opinion in 2020 that found their deprivation of liberty was "arbitrary" and contravened human rights covenants. Related coverage: FEATURE: Hate speech bringing unwanted focus on Japan's Kurdish community FOCUS: Female Afghan refugees facing legal limbo, deportation in Pakistan No. of foreign residents in Japan hits record high for 3rd year
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Japan court awards asylum seekers damages over prolonged detention
KYODO NEWS - 4 minutes ago - 20:13 | All, Japan A Japanese district court has ordered the state to pay a total of 1.2 million yen ($8,260) in compensation to two asylum seekers, ruling that in some cases their repeated detentions by the country's immigration agency did not take account of their physical and mental conditions. Deniz, a Kurdish man in his 40s with Turkish nationality, and Heydar Safari Diman, an Iranian national in his 50s, sought about 30 million yen in damages, after they were detained and released several times over the space of more than a decade. They filed the lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court in 2022 focusing on their treatment from 2016. The ruling handed down on Tuesday said that on some occasions, they were detained despite deteriorating health conditions, such as a diagnosis of depression. "We cannot say the necessity of detention overrode their physical and mental disadvantages," the court said, ruling that some of their detentions violated the International Covenants on Human Rights and amounted to unjust physical restraint prohibited by Japan's immigration law. The plaintiffs also questioned the immigration law itself, which allows detention without going through a review process such as trials, saying that it infringes the human rights covenants. But the court dismissed their claim on the grounds that their rights to a trial are guaranteed through a lawsuit seeking release. Masako Suzuki, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, underscored the significance of the ruling, telling a press conference that it "clearly acknowledges that there was a violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights in the detention." The Immigration Services Agency has said it will respond "appropriately" after reviewing details of the ruling, since some of its claims were not upheld. According to the complaint, Deniz, who declined to give his surname for fear of retaliation against his family in Turkey, and Safari Diman had both overstayed their visas and were subsequently repeatedly detained by the Immigration Services Agency. From 2016 to 2020, they were detained several times for a total of more than three and a half years each, the complaint said. They have been on provisional releases since the spring of 2020, according to their supporters. Seeking help from the international community, the two had notified a U.N. expert panel on arbitrary detention of their cases, leading the panel to release an opinion in 2020 that found their deprivation of liberty was "arbitrary" and contravened human rights covenants. Related coverage: FEATURE: Hate speech bringing unwanted focus on Japan's Kurdish community FOCUS: Female Afghan refugees facing legal limbo, deportation in Pakistan No. of foreign residents in Japan hits record high for 3rd year
