FERY HARDIANTO v. TORTURE CLAIMS APPEAL BOARD

HCAL 1092/2025

[2025] HKCFI 5157

IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE

HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE

CONSTITUTIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW LIST No. 1092 of 2025

Application for Leave to Apply for Judicial Review
NOTIFICATION of the Judge’s decision (Ord. 53 r. 3)

Following;

	consideration of documents only;          or
	consideration of documents and Applicant being absent in open court;

Leave to apply for Judicial Review be refused.

Observations for the Applicant:

THE APPLICATION

1.  The applicant applies for leave to apply for judicial review of the Decision dated 16 April 2025 of the Torture Claims Appeal Board (“the Board’s Decision”), dismissing the appeal against the Director’s Decision as described below.

2.  The applicant did not ask for a hearing.

3.  Pursuant to Order 20, rule 8 and Order 53, rule 3(6) of the Rules of the High Court, Form 86 is amended to the effect that the proposed respondent is the Board and the Director of Immigration is the interested party.

The applicant

4.  The applicant is a national of Indonesia. He is an illegal immigrant, having entered Hong Kong as a visitor, but overstayed since 25 June 2024. He was arrested. He lodged a non-refoulement claim with the Director of Immigration (“the Director”) on the basis that, if refouled, he will be harmed or killed by his creditor from whom he had borrowed 50 million Indonesian rupiah and he was unable to repay. The creditor had sent her people to attack him and threatened him with death.

5.  Details of his claim are set out in the Board’s Decision. See hyperlink https://legalref.judiciary.hk/doc/judg/html/vetted/other/en/2025/HCAL001092_2025_files/the_Board's_Decision.pdf.

The Director’s Decision

6.  The Director considered the applicant’s claim in relation to the following risks:

a.  risk of torture under Part VIIC of the Immigration Ordinance, Cap. 115, (“the Ordinance”) (“Torture risk”);

b.  risk of violation of the right to life under Article 2 of Section 8 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, Cap. 383 (“HKBOR”) (“BOR 2 risk”);

c.  risk of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (“CIDTP”) under Article 3 of Section 8 of the HKBOR (“BOR 3 risk”); and

d.  risk of persecution by reference to the non-refoulement principle under Article 33 of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol (“Refugee Convention”) (“Persecution risk”).

7.  By way of Notice of Decision dated 23 January 2025 (“the Director’s Decision”), the Director dismissed the applicant’s claim because it was unsubstantiated; the risk of harm is low, state protection will be available and internal relocation is viable.

The Board’s Decision

8.  The applicant appealed the Director’s Decision to the Board. On 21 March 2025, the Board conducted an oral hearing for his appeal. He had given oral evidence and answered the Board’s questions.

9.  Having considered the evidence, the Board made the findings below.

(1)  The Board was not satisfied that the applicant is at risk of harm of any kind from a loan shark as he did not mention his fear about return to Indonesia and he had requested repatriation when he was arrested. [36]

(2)  He could safely return to Lampung where he had resided for 12 months before he left Indonesia without being tracked down or harmed. [36]

10.  For the reasons above, the Board dismissed his appeal and affirmed the Director’s Decision.

Application for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision

11.  The applicant has filed Form 86 dated 12 May 2025 for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision.

12.  In his affirmation in support of his application, the applicant requested to talk to the adjudicator as he has many objections.

DISCUSSION

13.  The role of this Court is supervisory, meaning that it ensures that the Board complied with the public law requirements in coming to the Board’s Decision on the applicant’s appeal. The Court will not usurp the fact-finding power vested in the Director and the Board. See TK v Michael C Jenkins Esq and Director of Immigration [2013] 1 HKC 526, §40 and Nupur Mst v Director of Immigration [2018] HKCA 524, §14 (1).

14.  The Court will bear in mind that the Board’s Decision should be examined with rigorous examination and anxious scrutiny.

15.  In Re: Kartini [2019] HKCA 1022, 9 September 2019, the Court of Appeal held:

“13. (1) … …Assessment of evidence and COI materials and risk of harm, state protection and viability of internal relocation are primarily within the province of the Board (and the Director). The court will not intervene by way of judicial review unless there are errors of law or procedural unfairness or irrationality in the decision of the Board.”

16.  It is obvious that the Board had considered his case and found that he will not be subjected to any applicable risks if he returns to Indonesia. The reason stated in paragraph 12 is not a valid reason to challenge the Board’s Decision. He had not stated what questions he would like to ask the adjudicator. Nor did he say what findings of the Board he disagreed.

17.  The applicant has raised no valid ground to challenge the Board’s findings.

18.  The applicant fails to show that he has any realistic prospect of success in his proposed judicial review of the Board’s Decision.

DISPOSITION

19.  I refuse to grant leave to the applicant to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision. Accordingly, I dismiss his application.

Where leave to apply has been granted, Applicants and their legal advisers are reminded of their obligation to reconsider the merits of their application in the light of the Respondent’s evidence

Form CALL-1