Bereaved family of Kurdish man who died in custody sues Tokyo government

The bereaved family of a Kurdish man holding Turkish nationality who died in custody at a Tokyo police station has sued the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the clinic where the police station’s contract doctor works.

In the suit filed with the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday, the family is demanding ¥57 million ($361,000) in damages and other relief.

According to the complaint, the deceased was Murat Cicek, who died of peritonitis at age 48 on the morning of July 2 while in detention at the Metropolitan Police Department’s Takao station in Hachioji.

Murat was detained there after being arrested on suspicion of violating the immigration control and refugee recognition law by failing to carry his passport when he had a property damage accident in Hachioji on June 25.

The plaintiff side said the doctor failed to perform appropriate examinations and overlooked a hole in Murat’s bowel, although he began vomiting and experiencing stomach pain four days after his arrest.

The family also said the Takao police station left Murat untreated, even after his body temperature fell below 35 degrees Celsius, and failed to take him to a medical institution despite the doctor’s instructions.

The case “reflects a profound lack of human rights awareness within the police organization,” the family’s attorney, Hajime Kanbara, told a news conference. “We’ll pursue accountability in the suit.”