Kurd refugee family faces deportation by Japanese authorities

However, a Turkish Kurd family are in danger of being forcibly returned from Japan to Turkey. Should they be returned, they would be at risk of being detained without charge, tortured or ill-treated.

Mr Kazankiran, his wife and their five children - separated for 15 years until reunited in Japan in 2003 - were recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as refugees in October 2004 in acknowledgement of their risk of persecution by Turkish authorities as a result of Mr Kazankiran's involvement in the Kurdish rights movement. The family have been obliged to report each month to immigration authorities. On their last visit on January 17, Ahmet Kazankiran and his son where detained, and the following day deported to Turkey, contrary to Japan's obligations under international law and last-minute appeals by the UNHCR and human rights groups. According to The Guardian's Tokyo correspondent, they had no opportunity to speak to lawyers or other family members.

On Jan 25, The Japan Times reported that the remaining members of the Kazankiran family had been allowed to remain in Japan, but also mentioned that they had not yet been able to find out anything about what had happened to the father and son on arrival in Istanbul. The report goes on to say that, an official of the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau (which has never accepted any Kurdish asylum seeker) "stands by the deportation of the two Kurds, who along with the rest of the family had been deemed "mandate refugees" by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees." The report concludes with the official's rather cryptic statement that, "the ministry is still trying to encourage the remaining five members to "voluntarily" return to Turkey." They are due to make their next visit to the immigration bureau on Feb 24.

Read more about this story in The Guardian and The Japan Times.

Amnesty International Recommends sending appeals

• expressing concern at reports that the members of the Kazankiran family mentioned above, as well as Erdal Dogan and his family are at imminent risk of being forcibly returned to Turkey from Japan where they may be at risk of serious human rights violations including detention without charge, torture or ill-treatment;
• expressing concern at the deportation of Ahmet and Ramazan Kazankiran to Turkey on 18 January despite their recognition as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);
• urging the Japanese authorities to end the forcible return of any person to a country where they are at risk of serious human rights abuses, in accordance with Japan's international obligations, under the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and under customary international law.

Minister of Justice Minister NOONO Chieko Ministry of Justice 1-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-8977, Japan Fax: +81 3 3592 7088/+81 3 5511 7200 (via Public Information & Foreign Liaison Office) E-mail: webmaster@moj.go.jp Salutation: Dear Minister	Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr MACHIMURA Nobutaka Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2-2-1 Kasumigaseki Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 100-8919, Japan Fax: + 81 3 6402 2796 (General Administration Unit) E-mail: webmaster@mofa.go.jp Salutation: Dear Minister
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