DHALI MD LITON v. TORTURE CLAIMS APPEAL BOARD / NON-REFOULEMENT CLAIMS PETITION OFFICE

HCAL 3036/2019

[2025] HKCFI 2516

IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE

HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION

COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE

CONSTITUTIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW LIST

NO. 3036 OF 2019

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J U D G M E N T

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THE APPLICATION

1.  The applicant applies for leave to apply for judicial review of the Decision dated 10 October 2019 of the Torture Claims Appeal Board (“the Board’s Decision”), dismissing the appeal against the Director’s Decision as described below.

2.  The applicant asked for a hearing. However, he was absent at the hearing on 25 April 2025. I shall deal with his application on the papers.

The applicant

3.  The applicant is a national of Bangladesh. On 16 February 2016, he was arrested by police for being a suspected illegal immigrant that entered illegally on the same day by sea. In due course, the applicant lodged a non-refoulement claim.

4.  The applicant’s claim was based on his fear of being harmed or killed by members of the Awami League (“AL”) as the applicant was a supporter of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (“BNP”).

5.  According to the applicant, the applicant encountered incidents involving AL members, including making the applicant being jailed for eight to ten days in January 2014 from a complaint from AL members; being attacked by four to five people from AL in March 2014; the applicant was shot at in which he asserted to have been committed by an AL member in 2015; and again the applicant was being shot at in another incident and the applicant believed no other people dared to open fire in a public place except the AL. Details of his claim are set out at paragraph 6 of the Notice of Decision dated 28 January 2019 by the Director (the “Director’s Decision”).

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 the Director’s Decision, the Director assessed the applicant’s claim and dismissed his claim. In summary, the Director found that: the applicant was not hurt in the events though he was shot at, and no further threats occurred after the applicant left Bangladesh and the perceived risk of being harmed by AL was not as imminent and substantial as asserted [12-13]; state protection was available [14-17]; and internal relocation alternatives were available and reasonable [18-26].

The Board’s Decision

8.  The applicant appealed the Director’s Decision to the Board. On 26 June 2019, the Board conducted an oral hearing for his appeal, during which the Board accepted that the applicant was an ordinary member of BNP and the AL were non-state actors, but there was no, or no reliable evidence that the AL ill-treated the applicant with any intention under the definition of torture or had a well-founded fear of persecution, or that the AL acted in the interest of the government of Bangladesh [53-66].

9.  Having considered the evidence, the Board did not find any substantial ground that the applicant would be at risk of being subjected to the applicable risks [98-101]. In any event, the Board was satisfied that internal relocation was available [91-97]. In conclusion, the Board held that the applicant’s claim failed under all applicable risks. It therefore dismissed his appeal and confirmed the Director’s Decision.

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

10.  The applicant has filed Form 86 dated 15 October 2019 for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision. But he did not put forth any ground in support of his application.

11.  In his affirmation in support of his application, the applicant exhibited the Board’s Decision and deposed that the Director’s and Board’s Decisions were unreasonable, but did not put forth any ground or particular in support of his point.

DISCUSSION

12.  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).

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

14.  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.”

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

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

DISPOSITION

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