scholarly journals The Transfer of Asylum Seekers in Australia to Third Countries: A Case Study of Sovereignty versus International Law

2013 ◽  
pp. 187-196
Author(s):  
Hugh S. Tuckfield

Asylum is an issue equally central to refugee law and human rights. Generally, they are protected under the 1951 Refugee Convention, but asylum cases are largely state regulated affair, subject to state legislations, policies and guidelines, which certainly do not preclude the applicability of international obligations directing the conduct of state towards the asylum seekers, which emanate from the recognized international human rights principles such as right to seek asylum and right against refoulement and right not to be arbitrarily detained. Contracting parties to international conventions such as the 1951 Refugee Convention, ICCPR, ISESCR, CAT, CRC, CEDAW and CERD among others acquire the responsibility to respect, protect and fulfill the obligations adducible in treatment of asylum seekers. In this regard, Australia was one of the earliest state parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention and is also a party to the relevant human rights treaties. However, it is determined to adhere to its conventional understanding of sovereignty and nationalism, at the cost of comprising the minimum protection of the rights of those who seek asylum in it.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Sara Palacios-Arapiles

Abstract This article traces the contributions of African states to the development of international refugee law and explores the role African human rights supervisory bodies have played in the interpretation and application of this field of law. While Africa's contributions to international refugee law are often overlooked, this article sets out to identify Africa's involvement in the drafting process of the UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. It also explores the legal framework for refugees in Africa, in particular the OAU Refugee Convention and the Bangkok Principles on Status and Treatment of Refugees, and the extent to which these two instruments have enriched international refugee law. The article argues that some of their provisions may provide evidence of customary rules of international law. Lastly, it examines some of the authoritative pronouncements made by African human rights supervisory bodies, in so far as they adopt a progressive approach to interpreting the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers.


Author(s):  
Chetail Vincent

This chapter highlights the interface between human rights law and refugee law. The broader evolution of international law reflects the changing pattern of refugee protection as initially grounded in the Refugee Convention and subsequently informed by human rights treaties. As a result of a gradual process of pollination, human rights law has shaped, updated, and enlarged refugee law. While revamping the basic tenets of the Refugee Convention, it has become the normative frame of reference. Refugee law and human rights law are now so interdependent that they are bound to work in tandem. Their intermingling paves the way for a human rights-based approach to refugee protection. Instead of regarding the two branches of international law as silos, this new perspective offers a broader vision of refugee protection. This comprehensive design acknowledges that refugee law and human rights law complement and reinforce each other within one single continuum of protection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atin Prabandari ◽  
Yunizar Adiputera

This article explores how refugees in non-signatory countries in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia, have some protection through alternative paths under international refugee law. These two countries provide forms of protection even if they are not States Parties to the Refugee Convention. These two case studies show that the governance of protection for refugee and asylum seekers is provided through alternative paths, even in the absence of international law and statist processes. These alternative paths offer a degree of meaningful protection, even if this is not tantamount to resettlement. Alternative paths of protection are initiated mainly by non-state actors. The states try to manage alternative protective governance to secure their interests by maintaining their sovereignty, on the one hand, and performing humanitarian duties on the other. In this regard, Indonesia and Malaysia have resorted to meta-governance to balance these two concerns.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Azadeh Dastyari ◽  
Daniel Ghezelbash

Abstract Austria and Italy have recently proposed that processing the protection claims of asylum seekers attempting to cross the Mediterranean should take place aboard government vessels at sea. Shipboard processing of asylum claims is not a novel idea. The policy has been used for many years by the governments of the United States and Australia. This article examines the relevant international law, as well as State practice and domestic jurisprudence in the United States and Australia, to explore whether shipboard processing complies with international refugee and human rights law. It concludes that, while it may be theoretically possible for shipboard processing to comply with international law, there are significant practical impediments to carrying out shipboard processing in a manner that is compliant with the international obligations of States. Current practices in the United States and Australia fall short of what is required. Nor is there any indication that the Austrian/Italian proposal would contain the required safeguards. It is argued that this is by design. The appeal of shipboard processing for governments is that it allows them to dispense with the safeguards that asylum seekers would be entitled to if processed on land. Best practice is for all persons interdicted or rescued at sea to be transferred to a location on land where they have access to effective status determination procedures and are protected from refoulement and unlawful detention.


2018 ◽  
pp. 399-409
Author(s):  
Alison Kesby

This chapter uses the object and concept of a chain to examine international refugee law which is shown to be a chain of shifting hue and state of repair. At certain points along its length its interwoven links of gold retain the echo of their humanitarian ideal, and at others its gaps and corrosion come into view, jar, and unsettle. Seen in one light, we see international refugee law as a prized area of international law: the means by which some of the world’s most vulnerable may obtain a recognized legal status and associated rights. In another, its weaknesses become all too apparent, whether the discrepancy between states’ international obligations and their implementation thereof (eg non-refoulement) or the constraints and limits of the Refugee Convention. Issues discussed include the stasis and dynamism of the law, gaps in protection, and ‘burden sharing’ among states.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Dio Herdiawan Tobing

Abstract This article explains the extent to which Indonesia has international obligations to comply with the non-refoulement principle in the absence of ratification of the 1951 Refugee Convention. While Presidential Regulation No. 125 of 2016 concerning the Treatment of Refugees provides the general impression that Indonesia respects the non-refoulement principle, there is no specific text within Indonesian law and policy that regulates the matter. This article argues that Indonesia is legally bound by non-refoulement obligations under international human rights treaties to which it is a party, as well as under customary international law. It examines the extent of Indonesia’s non-refoulement obligations under the Convention Against Torture, the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and customary international law. It concludes that the Presidential Regulation was a missed opportunity for Indonesia to reinforce its non-refoulement obligations, as illustrated by the recent treatment of Rohingya asylum seekers near Aceh.


Laws ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Joel John Badali

The global migrant crisis triggered an unprecedented number of asylum seekers in the Balkan region. In this case study, the state of migrants with disabilities—a community notoriously overlooked during global conflict—is explored through field interviews of settlement service providers in Serbia. A human rights framework is espoused in first examining contemporary refugee law discourse and the corresponding gaps in current resettlement practice of migrants with disabilities. The study’s findings illuminate the need for a drastic shift in settlement services for those migrants most vulnerable to persecution in de facto destination countries. The discussion takes aim at “humanitarian silo” funding models and argues for international cooperation and transparency in accommodating migrants with disabilities internationally.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-21
Author(s):  
Bima Yosua A Tarigan ◽  
M. Alvi Syahrin

This paper discusses that Indonesia which is not a contracting state to the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol, but still respect human rights of asylum seekers and international refugees on the principle of non-refoulement. By being unable to refuse the asylum seekers, it will result in the accumulation of those who have the potential to disturb the security and order of the Indonesian people. This paper aims to identify conditions, problems, and provide solutions for asylum seekers and refugees in Indonesian territory from the perspective of national law and international law. This writing uses a normative research method with a juridical-normative approach, which refers to the prevailing laws and regulations. The solution that can be provided is the establish regulations regarding the handling of asylum seekers and refugees, improving communication with the main destination countries, conduct training for officer in dealing with asylum seekers and refugees, and optimally applying the Global Compact on Refugee concept. The results of this paper indicate that national law and international law can provide protection for asylum seekers and refugees.


2006 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Buyse

AbstractThe protective shield of a human rights treaty in principle only works once it has entered into force. But what about the frequent problem of human rights violations that occurred or started before that time; can one complain about those on the international level? In other words, what are the limitations of the ratione temporis jurisdiction of supervisory human rights mechanisms? This article explores this question in the context of general public international law through a case study of the European Convention on Human Rights. It argues that the European case law's variations on principles of international law can be explained by the special nature of human rights treaties.


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