CAT/C/53/D/520/2012
6.6
Finally, the State party reiterates that, even if the complainant is given the benefit of
the doubt concerning her alleged detention, at no point has she ever alleged that she was
tortured or otherwise mistreated while in detention. Thus, even if it is accepted that the
complainant has previously been detained, that in no way supports a finding that she would
be tortured and killed if she were detained again. The State party therefore maintains that
the complainant has failed to establish that she faces a foreseeable, real and personal risk of
torture if returned to Ethiopia.
6.7
Taking into account the above, the State party requests that the Committee consider
the present communication to be inadmissible on the grounds of non-exhaustion of
domestic remedies. In the alternative, the complainant’s communication is inadmissible on
the grounds of non-substantiation. If the Committee considers the communication to be
admissible, the State party requests the Committee to consider the communication to be
without merit.
Issues and proceedings before the Committee
Consideration of admissibility
7.1
Before considering any claims contained in a communication, the Committee must
decide whether it is admissible under article 22 of the Convention. The Committee has
ascertained, as it is required to do under article 22, paragraph 5 (a), of the Convention, that
the same matter has not been, and is not being, examined under another procedure of
international investigation or settlement.
7.2
The Committee takes note of the State party’s argument that the communication
should be declared inadmissible under article 22, paragraph 5 (b), of the Convention, as the
complainant failed to apply to the Federal Court for leave to apply for a judicial review of
the PRRA decision dated 1 June 2012, and did not apply for permanent resident status in
Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. The Committee also takes note of the
complainant’s argument that the remedies in question would not constitute an effective
remedy in her case.
7.3
The Committee notes that, according to section 18.1(4) of the Canadian Federal
Courts Act, the Federal Court may quash a negative PRRA decision if satisfied that a
tribunal acted without jurisdiction; that it failed to observe a principle of natural justice or
procedural fairness; that it erred in law in making a decision; that it based its decision on an
erroneous finding of fact; that it acted, or failed to act, by reason of fraud or perjured
evidence; or that it acted in any other way that was contrary to law.20 The Committee
observes that none of the grounds above include a review on the merits of the
complainant’s claim that she would be ill-treated if returned to Ethiopia.21
7.4
Further, with regard to the complainant’s failure to apply for permanent residence on
humanitarian and compassionate grounds, the Committee recalls that, at its twenty-fifth
session, in its concluding observations concerning the examination of the third periodic
report of the State party, it considered the question of requests for ministerial stays on
humanitarian grounds. It noted the apparent lack of independence of the civil servants
deciding on such a remedy and the possibility that a person could be expelled while such an
application was being considered. It observed that those circumstances could detract from
effective protection of the rights covered by article 3, paragraph 1, of the Convention. It
concluded that, although the right to assistance on humanitarian grounds may be a remedy
under the law, such assistance is granted by a minister on purely humanitarian grounds,
20
21
See para. 4.6 above.
See for example communication No. 319/2007, Nirmal Singh v. Canada (see footnote 6), para. 8.8.
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