Refugee definition in international law The definition of the term "refugee" in international law is a very wide issue which can be conceived from many different points of view. One of the best ways how to deal with it is to focus on only one part of the generally most widely accepted definition of a refugee. This is the definition according to the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. According to this document a refugee is a person who "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country..." This definition is more than fifty years old and still actual. It has been adopted in response to the Second World War and the mass refugee flood. The missing interpretation of the term "persecution", which is the fundamental element of the Geneva Convention refugee definition, is still one of the biggest problems of refugee law. The aim of my thesis is to find out whether the missing definition of the term "persecution" is really such a serious imperfection as it is brought out sometimes. I try to answer this question through researching the...

Resumé Práce zkoumá definici uprchlíka a její výklad a aplikaci v současném mezinárodním právu. Vymezení zpracovávané látky je dáno smluvním instrumentem z roku 1951, kterým státy přijaly definici uprchlíka, Úmluvou o právním postavení uprchlíků. Zkoumána je zahrnující část definice, která říká, kdo je uprchlíkem. Za něj považujeme osobu, která (...) "se nachází mimo svou vlast a má oprávněné obavy před pronásledováním z důvodů rasových, náboženských nebo národnostních nebo z důvodů příslušnosti k určitým společenským vrstvám nebo i zastávání určitých politických názorů, je neschopna přijmout, nebo vzhledem ke shora uvedeným obavám, odmítá ochranu své vlasti (...)". Disertační práce pracuje s následujícími hypotézami: 1) došlo k posunu ve výkladu a aplikaci definice uprchlíka. Zde je zároveň sledováno, zda došlo k vytvoření nové obyčejové definice a jaký je případně její obsah; 2) došlo ke vzniku regionální obyčejové definice - a zde je opět brán zřetel na to, jaký je případně její obsah; a 3) restriktivní praxe států před a při vstupu cizince na území ovlivňují výklad a aplikaci definice uprchlíka. Text je členěn do čtyř částí. První se zabývá historickým vývojem definice uprchlíka a zkoumá, co státy ovlivnilo při formulování jejího pozitivního zakotvení. Mezinárodněprávní reakce na fenomén uprchlictví je...

Kenya like many other countries offers asylum to refugees in fulfillment of the provisions of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention as well as the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention. The country, with the assistance of UNHCR, confers refugee status on refugees who meet the qualifications stated by the two treaties as well as the Refugee Act 2006. Rwandan refugees make up part of the refugee community in Kenya. Though refugee status was created to enhance refugee protection in countries of asylum, it was never intended to last a lifetime. The United Nations envisioned an end to refugee status when the reasons for flight as well as persecution no longer continued to exist. The cessation clause marks the end of refugee status and thus facilitates re-establishment in the country of origin. This study endeavours to explore the impact that the cessation clause will have on Rwandan refugees residing in Kenya specifically based on the widespread concern about the human rights situation in Rwanda. There is accordingly a need to explore the nature of the cessation clause, the reasons for its creation and further the qualifications entailed in its application. After understanding what the cessation clause is, there is the need to understand the genesis of Rwandan refugees. This will enhance the understanding of why Rwandan refugees continue to reside in Kenya even after the end of the Rwandan conflict. The study will then expound on the reasons for and against invocation of a cessation clause to provide an analysis of whether the country is indeed safe for return. To enhance this analysis, the study will provide a comparative study with Liberia and Angola, which recently implemented cessation clauses. Through this comparative assessment, the study will seek to ascertain the viability of the concerns raised in reference to Rwanda and further speculate on the outcome of the cessation clause pertaining to the concerns raised. This study will therefore be able to advise on whether the cessation clause applies to Rwandan refugees and thereafter offer recommendations as to whether implementation in the Rwandan context is feasible. It will also endeavor to provide an analysis of whether there is a need to amend the invocation procedure with regard to cessation clauses in general. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

South Africa is seen as a major destination for refugees and asylum-seekers and is, according to the 2010 Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the world’s highest destination country for asylum-seekers, mainly from Sub-Saharan Africa. Following the 1994 democratic elections, there was a transformation in foreign policy, embracing the African Agenda, and South Africa became a major country of destination because of its relative prosperity in Africa. As a State Party to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention on the Status of Refugees, South Africa is under a legal obligation to protect refugees and grant them legal rights. At the same time, South African citizens, who had legitimate aspirations that the 1994 democratic government would address their development challenges, opposed the significant flow of refugees into the country by violent acts of xenophobia. The government, seen as a moral authority internationally with human rights being a key principle underpinning its foreign policy, found itself between the promotion of the African Agenda and its commitments to its own citizens. The refugee issue was addressed in the United Nations where the government made multilateral diplomacy a central platform of its foreign policy, a policy embedded in Africa and the South. South Africa is used as a case study to determine how it used multilateral diplomacy in the United Nations refugee regime through its coalition, the African Group, to address the migration issue. The study draws out the weaknesses of the international refugee regime by discussing the roles of two important diplomatic actors: the sovereign states in the United Nations General Assembly, and the international organization mandated to supervise the international refugee regime, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. South Africa’s foreign policy objective of promoting the African Agenda at times conflicts with the promotion of its national interest. Its progressive Constitution (1996) provides economic, social, and cultural rights to refugees, to the resentment of its own citizens, who view the refugees as beneficiaries of the United Nations. The study provides a critical analysis of South Africa’s multilateral diplomacy, and also provides the following recommendations where South Africa could use this mode more effectively to address the migration issue: Reform the international refugee regime; Allocate funds from the United Nations regularly assessed budget to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and, Develop an international normative regulatory framework for irregular migrants. / Dissertation (MDiplomatic Studies)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Political Sciences / Unrestricted

In den Jahren 1992-1995 kamen ca. 35 Tausend bosnische Kriegsflüchtlinge nach Berlin und wurden vorübergehend geduldet. Nach Kriegsende 1995 sollten sie schnellstmöglich wieder zurückkehren. Traumatisierte und Ältere ohne Angehörige im Heimatland wurden weiterhin geduldet bis Bosnien-Herzegowina wieder aufgebaut ist. Doch der Wiederaufbau verlief schleppend. Mit dem Friedensvertrag von Dayton begannen nicht Frieden und Wiederaufbau, sondern die Konsolidierung der ethnischen Grenzen in demokratischen Strukturen. Deshalb sahen viele Flüchtlinge keine Möglichkeit in ihre Heimatorte zurückzukehren und versuchten ihre Rückkehr hinauszuschieben. Möglich war dies mithilfe der Attestierung einer kriegsbedingten Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung und ihre psychotherapeutische Behandlung, die den Inhabenden und ihren Familienmitgliedern eine Aufenthaltsverlängerung ermöglichte und ab dem Jahr 2000 den Erhalt eines dauerhaften Aufenthaltstitels. Die Verbindung einer psychischen Krankheit und ihrer Psychotherapie mit einem Aufenthaltsrecht ist neu in der Geschichte des deutschen Ausländerrechts und obwohl Berliner Psychiater, Psychiaterinnen, Psychologinnen und Psychologen maßgeblich an der Schaffung der „Traumatisiertenregelung“ beteiligt waren, wurden ihre Atteste von der Berliner Verwaltung in Frage gestellt. In der Dissertation werden die Standpunkte der Flüchtlinge, Behandelnden und der Verwaltung dargelegt und ihre Interaktionen beschrieben.Die Rolle des Krankheitskonzeptes der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung wird als "boundary object" (Star/Griesemer 1989) untersucht. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf den Lebenswelten und Taktiken der Flüchtlinge, sich in Berlin zurechtzufinden und Anerkennung und Verständnis für ihre Situation zu finden. Ihre Bedürfnisse wurden in einen psychotherapeutischen Bedarf übersetzt und damit den Berliner Psychotherapeutinnen und -therapeuten ein neues Betätigungs- und Professionalisierungfeld geboten, was kritisch hinterfragt wird. / From 1992 until 1995 about 35 thousand Bosnian war refugees fled to Berlin and were allowed to stay temporarily. After the end of the war in 1995 they were expected to leave as soon as possible. Traumatized persons and elderly without relatives in Bosnia had the possibility to prolong their visa until Bosnia is reconstructed. But the rebuilding process progressed only slowly. With the end of the war did not start the expected peace time and rebuilding but the consolidation of ethnic borders inside democratic structures. Therefore many refugees did not see a possibility to return to their property and tried to delay their return. This was possible with an medical statement certifying a war related posttraumatic stress disorder and their psychotherapeutic treatment. These medical statements ensured the extension of the visa for the concerned person and its family members. From 2000 onwards they could receive a permanent residence title. The connection of a mental illness and psychotherapy with residence entitlements is a novelty in the German aliens law. And despite the fact that psychiatrists and psychologists from Berlin were leading actors in the establishment of the „regularization of the traumatized“ their medical/psychological statements were impeached by the authorities. The dissertation describes the viewpoints of refugees, treating physicians and psychologists and the authorities and how they interact with each other. Additionally is the concept of posttraumatic stress disorder examined and discussed as „boundary object“ (Star/Griesemer 1989). An important aspect is the description of life worlds and tactics of the refugees to get along in Berlin, to gain respect and appreciation for their situation. Their needs were translated into a psychotherapeutic demand and this led to the invention of a new field of work and professionalization for psychotherapists in Berlin. This development is critically reflected.

Some expulsion decisions cannot be executed due to the existence of deportation impediments, which in this case means that foreigners are in a legal limbo in such a way that they have neither the right to stay nor the opportunity to leave Sweden. The regulation of deportation impediments is found in Aliens Act (2005:716), but it is the application of these regulations that determine how specific cases are assessed, why it is highly relevant to study said cases.  The essay deals with political, practical and medical impediments, found in Chapter 12 of the Aliens Act, in order to establish the applicable law, and by analyzing ten court cases from the Migration Court of Appeal, study how the court assesses the Swedish Migration Agency's application of these legal barriers. The provisions being studied are chapter 12 1-3 §§ Aliens Act, concerning political impediments, chapter 12 18 § Aliens Act, concerning practical and medical impediments, and also chapter 12 19 § Aliens act which establishes the possibility of a new trial in a case. The applicable law is established through a legal dogmatic method, and the legal cases from the Migration Court of Appeal are analyzed using a legal sociological method.  The study concludes that political impediments are weighed heaviest in comparison to medical and practical impediments, due to the latter two not being derived from international conventions or instruments as opposed to political impediments. Furthermore, it is easier to present evidence when invoking political impediments, as evidentiary requirements are set lower than those for practical and medical impediments. At the same time the individual has an opportunity to be granted a new trial if he or she invokes a new condition that concerns political impediments, while a new trial cannot be granted if the individual invokes medical or practical impediments. The provisions concerning practical and medical impediments should therefore be developed or amended in such a way that they are adapted to the circumstances that may arise in these cases. It is also concluded that the Swedish Migration Agency's investigation and interpretation of these impediments must be more comprehensive. It must be adapted to the conditions referred to in the case, due to the application of these provisions being complex and requiring the Swedish Migration Agency's staff to be well trained and accurate in each individual case.

This thesis explores the impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on the Common European Asylum System. It evaluates the extent to which the European Union was able to implement a common asylum system, identifies discrepancies between different European countries, primarily Germany and Hungary, and briefly examines the roots of these differences. To this end, the structure of the international refugee protection regime and the German and Hungarian asylum systems are analyzed. Furthermore, the thesis explores how the governments of the two countries perceive the rights of refugees and how their views have affected their handling of the crisis. The case studies of Germany and Hungary have revealed that the treatment of Syrian refugees varies enormously within the EU. Hence, the implementation of the Common European Asylum System has not been achieved, which can be attributed to the deficiencies within the system and the growing ideological rifts within the EU.

Plus de soixante ans après son adoption, la Convention de Genève compte 145 États parties.Instrument juridique universel sur le statut des réfugiés, elle est la lex specialis du droit international desréfugiés. Qui est réfugié ? Quelle protection lui est accordée ? Ces deux questions se posent avec uneacuité certaine du fait de l’accroissement des flux migratoires, des crises multiples et de la lutte contre leterrorisme. Le contexte actuel de l’application de la Convention est différent de celui de son adoption.Rédigée par la voie de dispositions générales, elle doit être interprétée pour être appliquée. Cependant, iln’existe pas un interprète. Si les États, le Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés et laCour internationale de justice sont les interprètes officiels, ils ne sont pas les seuls. L’Office français deprotection des réfugiés et apatrides et la Cour nationale du droit d’asile jouent un rôle important et la Coureuropéenne des droits de l’homme et la Cour de justice de l’Union européenne jouent un rôle grandissant.Cette multiplicité d’interprètes peut causer une diversité d’interprétations. Or, les interprétationsdivergentes nuisent à la lisibilité et la visibilité de la Convention en tant qu’instrument de définition et deprotection des réfugiés. La présente étude est une analyse de la contribution des interprètes aux évolutionsde la Convention. Dans cette perspective, la prolifération des instruments du droit européen etinternational des droits de l’homme et la complexification des déplacements contraints de personnes sontdes paramètres incontournables, pris en compte par les interprètes, pour éclairer le sens et la portée de laConvention. / More than sixty years after its adoption, the Geneva Convention counts 145 States ascontracting Parties. This universal legal instrument on refugee’s status represents the lex specialis ofinternational refugee Law. Who can be a refugee? What can be his level of protection? These questionsare particularly relevant under the influence of the increasing population flows, the multiples crises andthe fight against terrorism. The current context of the Convention’s application is different than the one ofits adoption. And due to its general provisions, this Convention needs to be interpreted in order to beapplied. However, there is no sole interpreter. The States, the United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees and the International Court of Justice are indeed the official interpreters, but not the only onesensuring this mission. Not only the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons andthe National Court of Asylum play an important role in this matter, but the European Court of HumanRights and the Court of Justice of the European Union also play an expanding role. This multiplicity ofinterpreters can induce a variety of interpretations. Nevertheless, a divergent interpretation can affect thereadability and the visibility of the Convention as a refugee defining and protective legal instrument. Thepresent study constitutes an analysis of the interpreters’ contribution to the Convention’s developments. Inthis perspective, the overgrowth of European and International Human Rights Law instrument and thecomplexity of forced migration are ineluctable feature, taken into account by the interpreters, to clarify themeaning and the scope of the Convention.