Outrage as Bangladeshi’s cuffed hospital visit in Japan goes viral

Send
Bangla Tribune Desk
Published : 14:10, Jan 18, 2019 | Updated : 14:11, Jan 18, 2019

Photos of a Bangladeshi asylum seeker in Japan, being taken to a hospital handcuffed and tied, have sparked an outrage as questions are raised on the country's treatment of detained foreigners.
The photos circulated on social media shows, the man, identified as Mahruf Addullah, an asylum seeker in the country, is walking inside a hospital with his hands cuffed and Japanese immigration officials holding a rope tied to his waist, reports Kyodo News
A Japanese national Asahi Oda took to the social media and shared the photos of the incident, which took place in October, 2018,
Abdullah, 36, has agreed to be named and to have the images shared, saying he hopes to let people know how people like him are being treated.
"I am not a criminal. The handcuffs and the rope were humiliating,” Kyodo News quoted Abdullah as saying.
The asylum seeker had his waist and knees examined by a doctor and the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau officers who said the handcuffs and rope were necessary to prevent him from fleeing.
The images have so far drawn more than 1,000 online responses, including likes and shares.
One user commented, "I find it cruel given he is not a burglar or a murderer," while another said, "We need restraints to some extent if it is feared he'll flee."
The immigration bureau said it applies handcuffs and a rope to detainees in accordance with a Justice Ministry ordinance, but it also takes measures to prevent detainees being seen by the public in such restraints.
In the photo images, Abdullah's handcuffs were covered, the bureau said adding it made it appear as if he was exposed for some time to public view but only captured one scene from the visit.
"The human rights detained foreigners should be protected as much as or even more than criminal defendants" who are assumed not guilty until courts find them otherwise, said Yasuzo Kitamura, a professor of international human rights law at Chuo University's law school.

/hm/
Top