HC Orders to Keep 2 Japanese Kids at Victim Support Center

The High Court has directed to keep the two Japanese children in a better environment at the Victim Support Center in Tejgaon till August 31.

The court, in its order, said the mother of the kids can meet them at the support center from 8 am to 2 pm every day while the father can meet them from 3 pm to 8 pm.

The children have to appear in the High Court on August 31. The court will give the next order on the same day. However, the court asked the lawyers of both parties to play a role in resolving the issue by August 31.

The HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman issued the order on Monday.

Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir appeared for the Japanese mother of the children in the court. Lawyer Fawzia Karim was on the father's side.

Earlier in the morning, Fauzia Karim, a lawyer for her father, brought to the attention of the High Court the incident of taking two Japanese children into the custody of law enforcement before the court order (August 31).

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) took the two girls, aged 10 and 11, into custody on Sunday (August 22nd).

On August 19, the High Court banned two Japanese children, Jasmine Malika and Laila Lina, and their father, Sharif Imran, from leaving the country for a month. At the same time, the two children were ordered to appear in court on August 31.

On the same day, the High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order. Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir appeared for the writ petition. Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the state.

Japanese doctor Nakano Erico, 46, filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court on Thursday morning seeking directions to produce his two daughters in court. The woman wants instructions to take custody of her two daughters in the writ petition.

apanese doctor Nakano Erico, 48, and Bangladeshi-American Sharif Imran, 58, were married on 11 July, 2008 in accordance with Japanese law. They moved to Tokyo and had three daughters in their 12 years of conjugal life. The three daughters are Jasmine Malika, 11, Laila Lina, 10, and Sania Hena, 7.

According to Erico's lawyer Shishir Monir, all three daughters were students at the "American School in Japan" in Tokyo's Chofu City. On 18 January, 2021, Sharif Imran filed for divorce from Erico. Then, on 21 January, Imran appealed to the "American School in Japan" authorities to take his daughter Jasmine Malik away. But the school authorities rejected his plea since Erico did not agree to that. Then, one day, Imran picked up Jasmine Malika and Laila Lina from the bus stop while they were returning home by the school bus, and took them to a rented house.

The lawyer said that on 25 January, Imran through his lawyer applied to Erico to hand over the passports of those two daughters, but Erico rejected the request and filed a lawsuit with Tokyo Family Court on 28 January seeking an order to take the two daughters into her custody. The court in Japan then issued an order instructing Imran to let Erico meet with the daughters on 7, 11, and 14 February, but Imran violated the court order, allowing the mother to meet the daughters only once.

Then on 9 February, lawyer Monir said, on the basis of 'false information', Imran obtained new passports for his daughters, and on 21 February, he came to Bangladesh via Dubai with Jasmine and Laila. Three months later, on 31 May, the Tokyo Family Court ordered the transfer of custody of Jasmine and Laila to their mother Erico, taking into account the statements made by the two daughters and the circumstances, overall.

"However, as the two daughters were in Bangladesh, Erico consulted with a Bangladeshi human rights activist and lawyer. On 18 July, Erico came to Bangladesh, but Imran at first refused to allow her to meet the daughters. Later, on 27 July, switching off Erico's mobile phone he let her meet the daughters, but he kept the mother blindfolded," said Shishir Monir.

Following these events, the Japanese mother filed a writ petition with the HC seeking custody of her two daughters. After hearing the petition, the HC has summoned the father, paternal aunt, and the two daughters in question.