Hélène Lambert

The human and political problems presented by refugees and asylum are acute and are not improving. This is reflected in international concern and the existence of a treaty framework. The emergent body of refugee law is an amalgam of international, regional and national rules and procedures. But it is national law and practice, particularly with regard to immigration, which in reality determines an individual's right to asylum. The key to a true appreciation and understanding of the plight of refugees and the extent of their current rights therefore lies in national law and practice.

Comparative Law and Practice in Selected European Countries

Seeking Asylum

Guy S. Goodwin-Gill

State authority and power have become diffused in an increasingly globalized world characterized by the freer trans-border movement of people, objects and ideas. As a result, some international law scholars believe that a new world order is emerging based on a complex web of transnational networks. Such a transnational legal order requires sufficient dialogue between national courts. This 2010 book explores the prospects for such an order in the context of refugee law in Europe, focusing on the use of foreign law in refugee cases. Judicial practice is critically analysed in nine EU member states, with case studies revealing a mix of rational and cultural factors that lead judges to rarely use each others' decisions within the EU. Conclusions are drawn for the prospects of a Common European Asylum System and for international refugee law.

Refugee Law, Policy Harmonization and Judicial Dialogue in the European Union

The Limits of Transnational Law

The law of the Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights relating to aliens has developed significantly over recent time. In 25 years the number of contracting States has doubled and the scope of rights and freedoms guaranteed under the convention has broadened with the adoption of new protocols. It is against this backdrop that The Position of Aliens in Relation to the European Convention on Human Rights is re-examined in a third edition.

The Position of Aliens in Relation to the European Convention on Human Rights

Michelle Foster

International Refugee Law and the Protection of Stateless Persons examines the extent to which the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees protectsde jure stateless persons. While de jure stateless persons are clearly protected by the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, this book seeks to explore the extent to which such persons are also entitled to refugee status. The questions addressed include the following: When is a person 'without a nationality' for the purpose of the 1951 Refugee Convention? What constitutes one's country of former habitual residence as a proxy to one's country of nationality? When does being stateless give rise to a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons specified in the 1951 Refugee Convention and/or UNHCR mandate? What are the circumstances under which statelessness constitutes persecution or inhuman or degrading treatment? How are courts assessing individual risk or threat to stateless persons? The book draws on historical and contemporary interpretation of international law based on the travaux préparatoires to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its antecedents, academic writing, UNHCR policy and legal documents, UN Human Rights Council resolutions, UN Human Rights Committee general comments, UN Secretary General reports, and UN General Assembly resolutions. It is also based on original comparative analysis of existing jurisprudence worldwide relating to claims to refugee status based on or around statelessness. By examining statelessness through the prism of international refugee law, this book fills a critical gap in existing scholarship.

Hélène Lambert

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