5.2 The post-determination review in November 1995 was negative. This
procedure has been criticised by refugees, lawyers and church groups
because it never results in a positive decision.
5.3 The only unresolved issue that is addressed by the State party is
whether the refusal of PDRCC should have occasioned a request for
judicial review by the Federal Court and whether this recourse can still be
resorted to. Counsel pointed out that judicial review of the PDRCC
procedure was not sought because of the lack of financial resources of the
applicants and the futility of it. The jurisprudence of the Federal Court
clearly establishes that the decision of the post-determination claims
officer is an entirely discretionary decision and that the Court is only
concerned with the procedural issues.
5.4 Instead of a request for judicial review, an appeal on humanitarian
grounds covering the same questions in law was made. The issue of the
post-traumatic stress was fully presented, as was the danger of return. The
torture was fully documented and the immigration officer judged the story
to be credible but refused to grant asylum because of the internal flight
alternative.
5.5 The refusal of the appeal on humanitarian grounds was challenged in
the Federal Court and leave was denied. According to the Court's constant
jurisprudence, decisions like the one under review are discretionary and,
therefore, the Court does not intervene on the substance of the cases, only
on whether the procedures have been fair. All legal arguments were
considered and disposed of by the Federal Court.
5.6 Counsel stated that it is objectively impossible to ask the Federal
Court to litigate again on exactly the same questions. The Court would
clearly consider that an abuse of the process.
5.7 The Canadian authorities concluded that the authors were at risk in the
Jaffna peninsula, but that Colombo could be a safe haven for them.
Counsel noted, however, that the author was severely mistreated by the
police in Colombo in March 1991, that he was arrested arbitrarily in
March 1992 and that there is a consistent pattern of arbitrary arrests,
detention, and sometimes disappearances and extra-judicial executions of
Tamils in Colombo.
5.8 The conclusion of the immigration officer in the humanitarian and
compassionate review procedure was that risks were involved. He based
his conclusion on the report of one of the doctors who examined the
author according to which the latter suffers from post-traumatic stress
disorder and his symptoms have increased as he is worried about being