The Justice Ministry violated the human rights of nine Turkish Kurds seeking asylum by giving their personal information to the Turkish government last summer, an action that could infringe on their security and freedom, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations warned Monday.
The association issued a warning against the ministry to never again violate asylum seekers' right to confidentiality. Releasing personal information could endanger the applicants' and their families lives, thereby representing a violation of Article 13 of the Constitution, the group said.
According to a report by the association, immigration officials visited Turkey last summer to conduct investigations on nine Kurds seeking asylum. There, various documents including arrest warrants that had been submitted to the Japanese courts by the Kurds as evidence for their bid to seek refugee status were handed over to the Turkish government to confirm their authenticity.
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