Lawyers for two Sri Lankan men hold a press conference in Tokyo on Oct. 7, 2021, after a Tokyo High Court ruling in their favor was finalized. (Kyodo)
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A Japanese high court ruling that ordered immigration authorities to pay damages to two Sri Lankan men for infringing on their right to undergo a trial for refugee status was finalized Thursday.
Neither the plaintiffs nor the state had appealed the Tokyo High Court ruling in favor of the Sri Lankans. In late September, the court ordered the state to pay 300,000 yen ($2,700) to each of the men, who had sought a total of 10 million yen in damages.
The court had acknowledged the plaintiffs' claim that the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau violated their right to face trial as ensured under the Constitution.
Shoichi Ibusuki, one of the defense lawyers representing the two men, said at a press conference in Tokyo that the Japanese government should "start taking actions immediately to improve the situation and implement relief measures."
A total of 48 people including the two were deported in groups in 2014 and 2016, soon after being informed of the rejection of their appeals, according to the defense team.
One of the plaintiffs, 50, who participated virtually in the press conference from Sri Lanka, said he wanted to go to Japan again and apply for refugee status and that he wanted the authorities to stop illegal deportations.
According to the ruling, the plaintiffs applied for asylum between 2011 and 2012 but were rejected. They appealed the decision.
But they were deported along with other Sri Lankans on a chartered plane on Dec. 18, 2014, a day after the authorities told them their appeal had been rejected.
The high court ruled that the immigration authorities deliberately failed to inform the plaintiffs of the dismissal of their appeal until the last minute in order to ensure the two would be deported with the group on the designated flight.
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