CAT/C/31/D/228/2003
Page 7
2001 elections and its replacement by the “anti-Awami League” comprising the
complainant’s BFP party and another party, which enjoy good relations with each
other, there is no ground currently to suspect politically-motivated interest in the
complainant. Even if former opponents sought to locate him, any ill-treatment from
such quarters would emanate from private parties without the consent or acquiescence
of the State and thus fall outside article 3.
4.7
With reference to the “court documents” and statement supplied to the Aliens
Appeals Board, the State party observes that it is unable to determine whether these
reliably substantiate the contention that legal proceedings were initiated against the
complainant in 1997 and remained pending in October 1999. No evidence has been
advanced to suggest that these proceedings instigated in the Awami League era
currently remain pending. Even if this were so, this would not demonstrate a real and
personal risk of torture, and the general human rights situation does not suggest that
ipso facto all persons liable to arrested on criminal charges on return to Bangladesh
face a substantial risk of torture. Given the substantial change since 1997 in the
complainant’s own and in his country’s circumstances, therefore, he has not made out
the necessary case under the Convention that his expulsion violated his rights under
article 3.
4.8
On the claims under articles 2 and 16, if considered applicable by the
Committee, the State party refers to two cases in which there was medical evidence of
PTSS and a claim that state of health prevented expulsion. In G.R.B. v Sweden, the
Committee considered that an aggravation of the state of health possibly caused by
deportation did not rise to the threshold of treatment proscribed by article 16,
attributable to the State party, while in S.V. v Canada, the Committee considered the
claim insufficiently substantiated.2 The State party refers to the jurisprudence of the
European Court of Human Rights on equivalent provisions that have held that illtreatment must rise to a minimum level of severity, and that there is a high threshold
where the case does not concern the State party’s responsibility for infliction of harm.
No exceptional circumstances exist in the present case that the enforcement of the
expulsion order gives rise to such issues.
4.9
The State party notes that the medical reports provided by the complainant
suggest a diagnosis of PTSS, with a finding on 16 December 2002 apparently made
on the basis of an examination on 31 July 2002 that the complainant showed deep
depression with a serious risk of suicide. On 29 October 2002, however, the risk of
suicide was described as “very difficult to assess”. The State party observes that
mental health issues were invoked for the first time in a new residence application
filed in December 2002, three years after the complainant’s arrival and two years after
his abscondment, suggesting that a mental deterioration arose as a result of denial of
entry to Sweden and his unsettled unlawful presence in the country. On the
information available, he did not seek or receive any type of regular medical
treatment, or submit to psychiatric care. Nor, to the extent that he is said to require
medical attention, would this be unavailable in Bangladesh. Even if his contention of
fearing a return to Bangladesh as he suffered from PTSS is relevant to an assessment
2
Case No 83/1997, Decision adopted on 15 May 1998, and Case No 49/1996, Decision adopted on 15
May 2001.