Refugees have every right to seek sanctuary in Hong Kong where the domestic legal framework makes overtures of asylum protection to individuals fleeing torture, cruel inhuman degrading treatment and persecution. Whether claims are eventually substantiated or not by the Immigration Department is entirely a different matter.
Vision First advances the view that every claimant must be treated with utmost respect and every claim must be approached on the premise that it is genuine unless and until it is proven that it cannot be substantiated by the claimant with recourse to proper legal remedies, if necessary.
It is regrettable that immigration detention is utilized to discourage the lodging of claims, the pursuit of asylum bids, arguably to encourage the voluntary departure of those persons who are daunted by the punitive and hostile reception. Such techniques, if widespread and arbitrary, are insensitive to the experiences of those seeking asylum and are contrary to the spirit of asylum.
Protracted detention deprives claimants access to information and opportunity to purse their claims with the assistance of independent legal advisors. Prolonged detention pending determination of claims is contrary to the principle that a person can only be detained for a period that is reasonable in all the circumstances for the purpose of effecting removal or deportation.
On 17 March 2014, Vision First reported the landmark case of Mr. Ghulam Rbani, who won a Court of Final Appeal case (FACV 15/2013) against the Director of Immigration for damages for false imprisonment, claiming that he had been unlawfully detained at the Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre (CIC). Simply put, the judgment opened the way for similar plaintiffs to be compensated with 1000 HK$ a day for the deprivation of liberty after lodging asylum claims.
Vision First is of the view that all claimants who were detained longer than 4 to 6 weeks in CIC should seek compensation not only as personal reparation for unlawful imprisonment, but particularly to discourage the arbitrary detention of those who trust Hong Kong government to protect them from torture, abuse and persecution.
In light of the above, the below letter by the Department of Justice raises questions. The plaintiff was allegedly unlawfully detained for 120 days and rightly demanded 120,000$ in compensation. The claimant laments, “When I was in CIC, [Immigration officers] gave me pressure every day to go back to my country. But I told them I am waiting for CIDTP case. I cannot go back because of danger.” The authorities are haggling over the price of injustice and offered half the amount.
Why should victims of unlawful detention settle for 50 percent?
