The Tokyo High Court ruled in favor of two Sri Lankan nationals, ordering the state to pay them a compensation in the amount of 300,000 yen each ($2,700) for infringing on their right to undergo a trial for refugee status, Kyodo news reported Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2021) The Tokyo High Court ruled in favor of two Sri Lankan nationals, ordering the state to pay them a compensation in the amount of 300,000 Yen each ($2,700) for infringing on their right to undergo a trial for refugee status, Kyodo news reported Wednesday.
"The two men were effectively deprived of the opportunity to stand trial to see if they were qualified as refugees," Yutaka Hirata, presiding judge of the high court, was quoted as saying by the Japanese news agency.
The two plaintiffs appealed the immigration authorities' decision to reject their asylum application around 2011-2012, according to the news. However, two years later they were deported along with other Sri Lankans on a chartered plane a day after being told their appeal was also rejected, the report said.
The high court acknowledged that this act had violated the plaintiffs' right to face trial ensured by the Japanese constitution and ruled that the immigration authorities deliberately withheld information about the dismissal of their appeal to ensure they were deported on a specific flight, Kyodo said.
As a result, the court ordered the state to pay a total of 600,000 yen to the men, overturning a previous lower court ruling that rejected the damages claim, the news stated.
The Japanese immigration authorities reportedly promised to study the ruling and take appropriate action.
