March 2012
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a monthly forum for news and discussion on refugee legal aid
Issue 24, March 2012 ISSN 2049-2650 Editorial Team: Yara Romariz Maasri, Themba Lewis, Nora Danielson, Sara Gonzalez Devant, Annemarie Hulbert, Janet McGiffin
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In this issue:
How to apply for asylum in Brazil
Practice Advisory on Interim Memo regarding law students, graduates...
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How to apply for asylum in Brazil
The following information was compiled based on an exchange with Brazilian lawyer Dr Liliana Jubilut, as well as on an article she co-authored with Dr Silvia M. O. S. Apolinário, published in Refuge.
Background In Brazil the refugee status determination (RSD) procedure is tripartite, involving the State, UNHCR and civil society, whose involvement dates from the early beginnings of refugee...
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Practice Advisory on Interim Memo regarding law...
By Galya Ruffer, JD, PhD, Director, Center for Forced Migration Studies (CFMS), Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies, Northwestern University, with the assistance of CFMS student intern Catherine Tyson, Anthropology and International Studies, Class of 2014.
On 17 January 2012, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published an Interim Memorandum to...
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The importance of psychosocial support in the...
This article, by Mary Anne Kenny, Associate Professor at the School of Law, Murdoch University, Western Australia, appears on the Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid page on Psychosocial Support in Refugee Status Determination.
Introduction There has been much written on the importance of psychosocial support of refugees who were adapting to resettlement or recovering from torture. An issue which has...
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Asylum approval rate in Japan still shockingly low
Contributed by Katsunori Koike, formerly a Legal Officer at the Japan Association for Refugees, and currently a UN volunteer with UNHCR in Kenya.
The 2011 statistics concerning asylum application were released on 24 February 2012 by the Immigration Bureau* of the Ministry of Justice of Japan. According to the report ‘The number of recognised refugees, etc. in 2011’ (‘Heisei 23 nen ni...
Italy rebuked by European Court after deportations...
In a victory for refugees and asylum seekers throughout Europe, the European Court of Human Rights has unanimously ruled that Italy violated the rights of 24 Somali and Eritrean migrants through their 2009 deportation to Libya. The deportation, which took place under the auspices of a now-suspended bilateral agreement between the Italian and Libyan governments, was ruled to violate Article 3...
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Changes to refugee system in Canada further...
In light of the proposed changes to Canada’s refugee system which the government claims would save tax-payers money, but critics say would strip the most vulnerable people of their rights, the Canadian Refugee Council issued the following press release on 16 February 2012.
New bill further undermines refugees The Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) is seriously concerned with the proposed...
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Statement on the Kenyan Government plan to...
In October 2011, the Kenyan Government launched a military campaign aimed at eradicating Islamist militant group Al Shabaab in Somalia. In the February 2012 issue of the Newsletter, we discussed the impact this war is having on Somalis in Kenya, referencing the Kenyan government’s announcement of their intention to ‘relocate’ Somali refugees to ‘safe havens’ in Somalia. The below statement on this...
Deportation news
Tamil asylum seekers deported from UK to Sri Lanka Despite allegations that returned Tamil asylum seekers are being tortured upon arrival in Sri Lanka, the UK continues to schedule mass deportation flights. In December 2011, an article in the Guardian reported on a Sri Lankan national, holder of a UK student visa, who was tortured on a visit to Sri Lanka from the UK. This man was later granted...
Syrian refugees in Europe: news from Belgium and...
One year after the beginning of the Syrian uprising, the government’s brutal crackdown on activists and protesters increasingly attracts criticism from the international community. With the death toll surpassing 7,500, tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have fled to neighbouring countries, with some also arriving in Europe. Below are two translations of articles regarding asylum claims in...
Syrians in Jordan: guests, not refugees
In an article on Syrian army defectors who crossed into Jordan, the Jordan Times cited an official who ‘stressed that the government does not consider Syrians residing in the Kingdom as refugees, but rather guests who left their country temporarily because of the current unrest there’. Khair Smadi, a Jordanian pro bono legal representative for refugees and refugee rights activist, submitted the...
Democratic Republic of Congo London embassy staff...
Three staff members of the Congolese embassy in London resigned from their posts, ‘issu[ing] a lengthy statement denouncing their government’, and claiming asylum in the UK. First Secretary B. Kazadi Moussonzo, First Secretary M. Yaya Efunga and Second Secretary S. Kabengele Mamba, who have a collective 14 years of service, stated: ‘Our dream of a lawful state in DRC vanished with what is in...
Open letter from Eritrean refugees and asylum...
In our January 2012 issue, the Newsletter covered the topic of Eritrean refugees being held in inhumane conditions in Nagad detention centre in Djibouti. Recently, a group of urban Eritrean aslyum seekers and refugees published the following open letter, highlighting the problems they face in Djibouti city. The letter, which can be found here, is being re-printed with the authors’...
Letter from the Rwandan Refugee Community in...
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon visited Zambia in late February 2012, and in his address to the National Assembly, commended the government for giving ‘shelter and peace to hundreds of thousands of refugees.’ Regarding the Rwandan and Angolan cessation clauses, he stated he was ‘encouraged that [the] Government is considering local integration, in addition to voluntary repatriation.’ The Rwandan...
Refugees in Brazil denounce ‘exploitation network'
In an article about Refugee Status Determination in Brazil, the authors note that while asylum seekers have permission to work, ‘their language, background experience, and social discrimination are obstacles that they may face in trying to find jobs’. A recent article on BBC Brazil covered the topic of exploitation of refugees who are trying to find employment. Below are translated excerpts from...
Request for Sahrawi COI expert
A Sahrawi refugee claiming asylum in the UK, who suffered torture at the hands of the Polisario in Tindouf camp, was rejected on the basis that he could be safely returned to Algeria and claim Algerian nationality. This refugee was working under another Sahrawi who was likely to have been spying for Morocco, but who disappeared. If someone is able to comment on the Algerian nationality issue, or...
Publications
‘Recent and unprecedented research undertaken by the [International Detention Coalition] IDC found that there are cost-effective and reliable alternatives to prevent unnecessary immigration detention, currently used in a variety of settings that are beneficial to government, the community and the individual’ —...
Country of origin and legal news
AFRICA GHANA: 11,000 Liberian refugees in Ghana to lose status on 1 July 2012 through Cessation Clause KENYA: Xenophobia and marginalisation of Somalis in Kenya on the rise; Tens of thousands flee violence in Northern Kenya; US urges Kenya not to refoule Somali refugees; Despite widespread intolerance, Kenya becomes a destination for regional LGBTI people seeking protection; Barbaric...
Conferences and courses
Three-day conference on psychocial support for refugees in urban settings The Psycho-Social Services and Training Institute in Cairo and the American University in Cairo (AUC) Center for Migration and Refugee Studies are offering a three-day conference titled ‘A growing challenge: Psychosocial and mental health support for refugees and migrants living in urban settings’. While refugee camps are...
Info links
Forced Migration Current Awareness Blog Still Human, Still Here Resources Page US asylum decisions on LGBTI/HIV issues
Resources
UNHCR re-issues RSD Handbook In December 2011, UNHCR’s Division of International Protection re-printed the Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, incorporating eight Guidelines on International Protection, and so changing the title of the document to...
Vacancy announcements
Country Director, Africa & Middle East Refugee Assistance, Egypt Africa & Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) seeks a Country Director to provide strategic direction and leadership to AMERA-Egypt. Working with the support of the Director of AMERA-UK, the Country Director will be responsible for providing strategic leadership as well as managing staff, finances, programme development and...
Announcements
Confidential helpline for undocumented migrants in London The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) announces the opening of their new advice helpline for undocumented migrants in London. Undocumented migrants do not fall into any of the UK’s legal immigration categories. This includes migrants with rejected asylum applications or cases where refugee status was revoked, among...
Scholarships for African Commonwealth candidates...
The Department for Continuing Education and the Faculty of Law at the University of Oxford are very pleased to announce that admissions are now open for five scholarships for candidates from African Commonwealth countries to study for the part-time Masters in International Human Rights Law, starting September 2012. The awards are intended for human rights advocates from African Commonwealth...