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AGO agrees to free 2 ‘asylum seekers’
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Posted on Jan 28 2000
The Attorney General’s Office has agreed to order the release of two Chinese nationals from detention who have been seeking political asylum in the Commonwealth.
Rui Liang and Liao Da Nian are now with a third-party custodian after Assistant Attorney General Robert Goldberg and lawyer John M. Chambers agreed on the terms and conditions of their release which was approved by Superior Court Associate Judge Timothy H. Bellas.
Based on the agreement, Mr. Rui and Mr. Liao, who have been detained on overstaying charges, shall be present in all the court hearings in a civil case filed at the U.S. District Court.
Mr. Rui and Mr. Liao through their counsel Bruce Jorgensen have asked the federal court to process their asylum applications immediately and impartially by both the CNMI and federal authorities.
They filed their petitions before the court after a representative of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service allegedly interrogated Mr. Liao and attempted to question also Mr. Rui in violation of an earlier court order.
Mr. Jorgensen even accused Mr. Goldberg, counsel of the Department of Labor and Immigration, of bad faith for attempting to deport the two asylum seekers.
According to Mr. Jorgensen, the release from detention of his clients will now allow them to press for the enactment of asylum proceedings as he believes that every nonresident worker who comes from a totalitarian state can apply for asylum here.
Both Mr. Liao and Mr. Rui have maintained that they are in danger of being “personally harmed” by authorities of the communist government in Beijing if they are sent back. (LFR)
