'No One is Illegal' protest letter to Japanese Consulate

Read below the letter of protest that the organisation 'No One is Illegal' has sent to the Japanese consulate in Toronto, Canada:

Consulate General of Japan

77 King Street West
Toronto, ON M5K 1A1
(416) 363-7038

To whom this may concern:

Mr. Jamal Saberi is a valuable member of Japanese society, having contributed for many years in social and political work. Since 1992, he has been an active member of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran, printing and distributing WPI literature as well as writing several articles against the Islamic regime of Iran, published in both Persian and Japanese magazines and websites.

His political dedication towards denouncing the oppressive Iranian regime both support International condemnation of Iran’s conduct towards opposition parties as well as civilians, and in so doing, has also come to be a threat to this very regime. It is well documented that his deportation to Iran could result not only in torture but in his very death.

As an organization that opposes the inhumane deportation of political activists around the world, No One Is Illegal Toronto urges the Japanese Government to uphold UNHRC protocol of Human Rights and both cancel his deportation order as well as grant him the Refugee Asylum status he has applied for since May 10, 2001. Supporting the International Federation of Iranian Refugees, NOII-Toronto considers the forcible return of Iranian political activists to be a violation of the principle of non-refoulement. This principle prohibits the forcible return of a person to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened and is binding upon all states. Japan is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which prohibits torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

No One Is Illegal-Toronto recognizes the immediate threat to Mr. Jamal Saberi’s life, an undeniable consequence should he be deported to Iran. We, as members of a broad network of international immigrant and activist rights groups, urge the Japanese government to uphold its obligations under the United Nation’s Human Rights Charter and grant Mr. Saberi immediate Asylum status.

No One Is Illegal Toronto

Toronto.nooneisillegal.org