Letter to Consulate in Boston

This is James Miller's letter to the Japanese Consulate in Boston:

To the Honorary Consul General of Japan, Mr. Gregory A. Boyko, and the Consulate-General of Japan in Boston,

I am writing you on behalf of prominent Iranian dissident and human rights activist Jamal Saberi (Jalal Amanzadeh Nouei), a resident of Japan for the past 18 years. I understand that he is not a legal resident of Japan, and he is facing deportation, however sending this man back to Iran is likely a death sentence. This would be in violation of Japanese and international law. Japan’s effort to forcibly return Saberi violates the principle of non-refoulement: “no refugee should be returned in any manner whatsoever to any country where he or she would be at risk of persecution.” Japan has signed the Convention and Protocol on the Status of Refugees, where this principle in enshrined.

Mr. Saberi is a well known, vocal, and published critic of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian regime has a history of imprisoning or executing voices of dissent, and this has never been more true than within the last year.

The Japanese people are a peaceful, honorable people, whom I have always held in the highest regard. Please grant Mr. Saberi refugee status, which he deserves under UN convention, or find another option besides deportation to Iran.

Sincerely,

James Miller

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