Family of dead Sri Lankan woman launch petition for video disclosure

The one thing this detention center did absolutely wrong was not taking her claims of illness seriously, which led to her death. This is inexcusable.

However, she prolonged her stay in detention by refusing to be deported back to her country. No matter how many times you tell people the facts about detention, they conveniently ignore them just so that they can propagate the falsehood that Japanese authorities unfairly target and detain foreigners off the street and hold them indefinitely against their will. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason why some of these detainees are held for years is because they game the system by continuing to apply for refugee status and appealing denial of claims. Each time they do this, the deportation goes on hold. And there are no limits to how many times a detainee can do this which is why I am still at a loss as to why the authorities withdrew a bill that would have put a stop to this abuse.

@Oldman……you lost me at however. Plain and simple the Government is complicit in her death. No other excuses or “qualifying statements” will bring her back. She is dead and should be alive today.

Detention condition in Japan is from another century and government ignore claims prisoners and international basic treaties signed.

immigration authorities for refusing to release the footage that could reveal her health condition while in custody.

What exactly they hide?

Well said @Tokyo-Engr 7:00am:

“Plain & simple; the Govt is complicit in her death. No other excuses or “qualifying statements” will bring her back. She is dead and should be alive today.”

Agreed. There should be a FULL accounting for the circumstances of her death, a reckoning for ALL those involved, acknowledgement for the family and atonement for her human rights violations.

What has the government got to hide?

It’s a pity that the same rules and regulations that the government applies to citizens are not applied to itself…

That Japan's government who disrespects human rights and insincere to even bereaved family sticks to hold Olympics under the name of "festival of peace" is absurd.

The Japanese (in)justice system and the way it treats detained people and foreigners as well is closer to countries like China and Russia rather than Sweden or Norway.

What a shame,justice must be done for that poor woman and her family.

Plain and simple the Government is complicit in her death. No other excuses or “qualifying statements” will bring her back. She is dead and should be alive today.

exactly

That Japan's government who disrespects human rights and insincere to even bereaved family sticks to hold Olympics under the name of "festival of peace" is absurd.

considering who the punks are that control the IOC, I'm not surprised.

The Japanese (in)justice system and the way it treats detained people and foreigners as well is closer to countries like China and Russia rather than Sweden or Norway.

absolutely!

What a shame,justice must be done for that poor woman and her family.

unfortunately as we have seen in the past, the j justice system is a joke and delivers anything but Justice

@oldman... are you even serious about your "however"? She was very sick, she suffered and they simply killed her by ignoring her pleas for help... Japan beats the drum about North Korea kidnaping and killing Japanese, but they do the same with other nationalities' people don't they?

If you hold someone in custody you're fully responsible for their death? There is no "we'll keep you here HOWEVER if you want to return to your country we just MIGHT let you live". This attitude, their "howevers" show extreme lack of empathy and extreme lack of respect for any kind of human life as long as they're not Japanese.

By now the video might have been edited or tampered with.By the time they release it,it will be useless.

However, she prolonged her stay in detention by refusing to be deported back to her country. 

At times, It is unbelievable what the human mind can come up with. Just like in that detention center

one wonders whether all the wardens were suffering from brain freeze or was it because they saw no

value in a Sri Lankan. Prolonging one's stay in detention equals death. Hearthless.

However, she prolonged her stay in detention by refusing to be deported back to her country.

Oldman_13

You cannot be serious! Are you placing the blame of her stay in the prison camp....uh.....detention center on herself? Do you think she had a choice? She didn't refuse to leave, the Japanese government (immigration center) refused to let her leave, refused to let her seek medical attention she so desperately needed and most crucial of all, they refused her freedom.

Yes she overstayed her visa, but many people don't really notice that their cards have expired or will expire in a few days or until its too late. Chuck it up to a simple mistake, but it DOES NOT deserve being treated as a dangerous criminal or less of a himan. No matter what creed or race! Japan needs to be held responsible and deal with this detention center problem! Plain and simple!

Please add your voice:

https://www.change.org/p/菅義偉-内閣総理大臣-名古屋入管死亡事件の真相究明のためのビデオ開示-再発防止徹底を求めます-54c2248a-e98a-4949-b69e-7016156a699f

If you expect a detention center that ignored medical conditions of its "residents" to keep a video record - and then to actually release it - you're going to be disappointed.

Good luck with that. The human rights record is dismal here at best, and they don’t even keep regular video of police interrogations despite law.

Can someone shares the petition link ?

My advice for the Japanese government is to reveal the truth and organize a fair trial for Wishma's family.

Japan can't realize how its image is blemished from this story.

I personally, considering to relocate to other countries.

Detention condition in Japan is from another century and government ignore claims prisoners and international basic treaties signed.

Things change slowly if at all in Japan. This is an area where Japan needs not to preserve its traditions.

Really sorry to hear of another senseless loss of a poor soul in the hands of a so called civilized people with some of the "best " facilities in the world. Only full disclosure will bring closure to this loss of a poor life.

Make the footage public, it'll be heartwrenching for her poor family, but such visual proof of cold-blooded neglect will tell more than a thousand words (or a thousand performative bows) ever could. No one will ever accept responsibility, this we know, but it will be imprinted on the collective mind that sometimes a heart should have precedent over the rules. If no one speaks out in favor of these poor displaced folk in a cage and the system itself held accountable, then everyone is complicit. If Japan is happy with that, and it chooses to ignore the issue away, then it is what it is.

Perhaps somewhere down the line, they too will need help from someone.

Had she not lied and tried to cheat on her immigration status she may not have died.

Had she returned to her own country and not played the system, she may not have died.

Had she received better medical care she may not have died.

Life is full of choices. Choose wisely.

Medical care, yes, turned out to be insufficient because she passed away. But none of posters here is not informed enough, in this particular case, that the officers at the facility followed the doctors final professional medical certificates (Both professional doctors outside the facility).

It seems the lawyer(s) or supporting HRG that insist on the disclosure of video footage to the public through petition. I don't understand, the video footage would be surely disclosed at court during the course of trial for which these sisters and the supporting group already filed a lawsuit, how come the sisters would like public to watch their elder sister suffering alone in the cell.

Life is full of choices. Choose wisely.

It is obvious that human rights are not an issue that is given any importance by the Japanese government.

This is not one case of abuse but one of many!

I have found many long term foreigners in Japan willing to accept the short straw and the disadvantages that it brings in order to bring up a family or care for a relative.

However, a change in circumstances or even a failure to carry an ID card or to be late renewing a visa will lead to a criminal breach.

What is the treatment for such a breach?

Well more and more it seems to be a crap shoot!

The message from Japanese authorities is fairly clear.

One choice for foreigners to make might be avoid Japan-your life may depend on it.

snowymountainhellToday  07:22 am JST

Well said @Tokyo-Engr 7:00am:

“Plain & simple; the Govt is complicit in her death. No other excuses or “qualifying statements” will bring her back. She is dead and should be alive today.”

Agreed. There should be a FULL accounting for the circumstances of her death, a reckoning for ALL those involved, acknowledgement for the family and atonement for her human rights violations.

Or to put another way, she deserves justice.

kennyGToday  01:34 pm JST

> It seems the lawyer(s) or supporting HRG that insist on the disclosure of video footage to the public through petition. I don't understand, the video footage would be surely disclosed at court during the course of trial for which these sisters and the supporting group already filed a lawsuit, how come the sisters would like public to watch their elder sister suffering alone in the cell.

They want the world to see for themselves the truth.

The question you should be asking is, who wants to hide the video, and why?

Had she not lied and tried to cheat on her immigration status she may not have died.

Had she returned to her own country and not played the system, she may not have died.

Had she received better medical care she may not have died.

Life is full of choices. Choose wisely.

For you and others, a reminder of her story :

She came to Japan to study, legally, and everything went fine until her boyfriend started being violent with her.

She became a beaten woman who could not attend her classes hence couldn't renew her student visa.

Unlike many other beaten women she found the courage to go and see the police to escape her daily hell.

The first thing the police looked at is her visa and she was immediately arrested for that.

With a little help, she could have been set on the good path again. But we have a rotten, cold system looking at papers not the human condition.

For you and others, a reminder of her story :

She came to Japan to study, legally, and everything went fine until her boyfriend started being violent with her.

She became a beaten woman who could not attend her classes hence couldn't renew her student visa.

Unlike many other beaten women she found the courage to go and see the police to escape her daily hell.

The first thing the police looked at is her visa and she was immediately arrested for that.

With a little help, she could have been set on the good path again. But we have a rotten, cold system looking at papers not the human condition.

Which source are you on to make up stories like that?

If the video is tampered with it may be even more useful in showing what monster the Japanese police really are.

I am actually not against disclosing video footage on air to the broad public at all, but at the same time, these lawyers and human rights group should disclose what exactly they were advising her and her sisters.

For heavens sake, release the video if you have nothing DIRTY to hide.

The family have the right to see the final hours of their child life, it is the basic right of every human.

Mark" which has more sway, keeping the dirty little collectives secrets or a family's love and anguish at their daughters untimely death? The heartstrings argument rarely trumps the discomfort that this will bring to the group so we all know why they don't want to release. They will play the long game too, until everyone gives up and moves along. A cold harsh reality.