CAT/C/58/D/627/2014
complainant, is of great importance in assessing his personal risk of being subjected to
treatment contrary to article 3 of the Convention upon return.
5.3
The complainant adds that his asylum proceedings in the State party were neither
accurate nor comprehensive. He explains that his first interview was very short and related
to his registration as an asylum seeker; the second was a proper asylum interview and,
according to Swedish asylum case law, it is the only proper opportunity for asylum seekers
to present their reasons for seeking asylum; and the third was a short meeting with the
reception unit of the Migration Board. He confirms having a legal counsel representing
him. However, the State party has failed to mention that the initially appointed counsel at
times failed to answer the complainant’s queries, letters and phone calls and even to take
action, and as a result new counsel was appointed. Consequently, it is not correct for the
State party to maintain that he had an opportunity to submit comments and observations
through his assigned counsel. When the new counsel was appointed, within the appeals
proceedings the complainant requested the Migration Court to allow an oral hearing in his
case, in order to enable him to correct the mistakes committed during the asylum interview;
however, his request was rejected by the court on 20 December 2013 and again on
7 February 2014. As to the alleged lack of medical documentation concerning his injuries
and state of health, the complainant reiterates that his interests initially were not adequately
represented. He further provides transcripts of the asylum interview records to show that he
was never properly “encouraged” to submit medical documentation. He states that only
after a new counsel was appointed, did he undergo a proper medical examination, as a
result of which it was confirmed that his injuries were compatible with the story provided.
5.4
As to the issue of the authenticity of his passport, the complainant maintains that the
State party has not presented objective arguments supporting the allegation that the
Embassy of Bangladesh would actually issue a passport lacking authenticity without a
plausible demonstration of his identity. He notes that since the Migration Board questioned
the authenticity of his passport, he has approached the Embassy of Bangladesh in
Stockholm in order to obtain new documents to prove his identity. The complainant adds
that he does not fear the employees of the Embassy of Bangladesh, but rather the authorities
in his home country and that for this reason he has never approached the authorities in
Bangladesh. As to the allegedly forged court documents in Bangladesh, the complainant
submits that he has contacted his lawyer there and has not received “an acceptable
explanation (as) to why the court documents had shown the wrong court etc”. In any event,
his lawyer visited the “correct court in 2014 to retrieve proper documents”. According to
the retrieved copy of the complaint, a written complaint was submitted to police in
Bangladesh by the complainant’s father on 2 March 2005. The complainant contends that
he took no part in submitting that complaint as he was at the hospital at the material time,
was not aware of his father’s actions and was told that the complaint was submitted after
his departure. Accordingly, in the light of the foregoing arguments, the complainant
submits that his claim is admissible.
6.1
On 1 February 2016, the State party submitted its further observations. It reiterates
its previous arguments that the complaint is inadmissible given that the European Court of
Human Rights has assessed the same subject matter of the complainant’s claims that has
been raised before the Committee. The complainant’s application submitted to the Court
concerned the same person, was based on the same facts and related to the same substantive
rights as in the present complaint. 15
15
The State party refers to communication No. 643/2014, U. v. Sweden, decision adopted on
23 November 2015, paras. 6.3 and 6.4.
11