Japanese government to compensate Kurdish refugee for mistreatment

Arti Gercek reports that the District Court in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, has ruled that the state must pay compensation of 220,000 yen (approximately 32,000 Turkish liras) to a 44-year-old Kurdish refugee from Turkey who experienced mistreatment while in detention.

Court President Kenji Shinoda stated that the actions of the officials during the detention of the Kurdish refugee, referred to as Deniz, at an immigration center in the Ibaraki Prefecture in 2019 "exceeded the limit of what is reasonable" and "these treatments were illegal." Deniz had filed a lawsuit demanding approximately 11 million yen in compensation from the state.

SHE WAS PUSHED BY A THUMB UNDER THE CHIN AND HER ARMS WERE PULLED WHILE HANDCUFFED

According to reports from the Japanese media, the mistreatment that Deniz experienced included being forcibly pushed by the thumb under her chin and having her arms pulled up from behind while handcuffed. However, the court ruled that the decision to isolate 44-year-old Deniz while in custody was "legally justified due to agitation."

Deniz, who is currently on parole, stated that after her asylum request was denied in 2017, she was sent to the Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center in the Ibaraki Prefecture. In January 2019, she requested sedative medication, which was denied. In her complaint, Deniz claimed that she was attacked when she shouted during this time and was placed in isolation for several days on the accusation of kicking a staff member in the stomach, which she denied and argued that isolation was illegal.

During the trial, the state presented footage to the court of the moment when Deniz was restrained by personnel. The footage showed five or six officials holding her down while she yelled in pain, and Deniz being handcuffed from behind.

THE IMMIGRATION CENTER DOES NOT TREAT DETAINEES LIKE HUMAN BEINGS

During a press conference held in Tokyo after the announcement of the verdict, Deniz stated through an interpreter, "The immigration center does not treat detainees like human beings." Deniz also mentioned that she had experienced inappropriate behavior such as having her arms raised or her head forcefully lowered "up to 20 times," and said, "In my opinion, this is torture."

Her lawyer, Takeshi Ohashi, also described the verdict as a "severe condemnation" of the immigration center. He added that they are considering filing a lawsuit against the personnel whom the court found to have acted aggressively and cruelly.