Justice for Wishma – Demand detention reform in Japan

More than five years after Wishma Sandamali’s tragic death in immigration detention in Japan, her family is still being denied the truth. Despite medical tests indicating that she was suffering from starvation and needed urgent hospital treatment a month before her death, authorities failed to provide the medical care she desperately needed. Tell Japan to ensure accountability, disclose key evidence, and prevent similar tragedies from happening again.

What’s the problem?

On 6 March 2021, Wishma Sandamali, a Sri Lankan national, died at an immigration detention facility in Nagoya, central Japan. She was 33 years old.

Wishma came to Japan in June 2017 on a 15-month student visa, with big dreams. But instead her story ended in tragedy.

In August 2020, she was arrested for overstaying her visa and taken into detention to await a hearing and, likely, deportation. Her health rapidly deteriorated around January 2021, as she suffered vomiting, nausea and loss of appetite, reportedly losing 20kg from a stress-induced stomach condition. She was so physically debilitated that she struggled to write even her name on a request form. Test results indicated starvation and an urgent need for intravenous fluids and hospital treatment.

Until her death on 6 March, Wishma repeatedly pleaded for help and expressed her will to live. Yet immigration authorities appear to have ignored her desperate pleas for lifesaving care.

Now, more than five years later, her family is still seeking justice and demanding the full disclosure of video footage recorded in the two weeks leading up to her death.

In February 2026, Wishma’s family brought second lawsuit against the government demanding the release of full video footage surrounding her death. The government cited security issues at the facility and a lack of resources to process video footage, among other reasons, to continue to deny access to the footage.

Fundamental issues relating to immigration detention, including detention as a general rule, indefinite detention, the absence of judicial review, and the lack of independent oversight mechanisms, remain unresolved more than 30 years after Amnesty International made recommendations to the Japanese government in 1993.

When a person dies in custody, states must abide by international law to undertake independent investigations. They must provide the victims and their families truth, remedy, and justice.

With its strict migration policy and plans to accelerate deportations and tighten enforcement, Japan is following a worrying xenophobic trend, increasing the likelihood of people being placed in detention.

Without justice for Wishma, and fundamental changes to immigration law and detention conditions, more families could lose their loved ones under similar circumstances.

By taking action today, you can help support Wishma’s family in their search for truth, and call for reforms that protect the rights, health and lives of all people under Japan’s jurisdiction, including migrants.

What can you do to help?

Act now and urge the Japanese Minister of Justice Takashi Yamashita, and Immigration Service Agency Director Takuji Nishiyama to:

1. Ensure effective access for Wishma Sandamali’s family to CCTV footage and all other relevant materials so that their right to know the truth is respected.

2. Conduct an investigation into the circumstances of her death, making sure the investigation is independent (including of the immigration authorities), impartial, effective, and consistent with international standards; publish the findings; and ensure accountability for those responsible.

3. Reform conditions in immigration detention facilities so they comply with international human rights standards, such access to healthcare, independent oversight of the treatment of detainees by a body independent of the immigration authorities, the right of detainees to express their views and lodge complaints, and the right to life.