Legal Resources
This page provides information on LEGAL CONTACTS – to facilitate access to free legal assistance – and LEGAL RESOURCES – to offer the information necessary for legal service providers in adjudicating a Refugee Status Determination (RSD) claim. Under Legal Resources, we gather International Legal Instruments in Refugee Law, relevant General Resources, RSD Specific Resources, a collection of Case Law Databases, and information on how to access Regional Human Rights Bodies.
LEGAL CONTACTS
This section contains a centralised database of contact details of free legal assistance providers in over 160 countries, a database of country of origin experts, and information on legal processes relating to refugees.
Address: Gumussuyu Mah. A Ciragi Sk. N7 Daire 3, Beyoğlu – İstanbul
Tel: +90 212 292 68 42 – 43
Fax: +90 0 212 292 68 44
Email: iletisim@hyd.org.tr
Twitter: @hydturkiye
Contact person: Tuba Dokur / Fatma Melek Taylan
Email: tuba@hyd.org.tr / melektaylan@gmail.com
The Citizens’ Assembly is a non-governmental organization based in Istanbul, Turkey, promoting fundamental rights and liberties, democracy and pluralism.
- ensuring the legal protection of refugees and vulnerable migrants in Turkey;
- monitoring state policies and practice in the area of asylum and irregular migration control;
- advocating for legislation and policies in line with international standards; and
- encouraging public awareness and local ownership.
Address: Güniz Sokak 38/8 06700 Kavaklıdere/Ankara -TURKEY
Phone: 0090 312 428 06 10-11
Fax: 0090 312 428 06 13
E-mail: refugee@rightsagenda.org
Contact: Roberto Frifrini
The Human Rights Agenda Association, an independent national NGO, has been founded in 2002 in Izmir. At the moment, the HRAA has three offices: Ankara (main office), Izmir and Diyarbakir. Alongside working on monitoring activities on the status of human rights in Turkey and neighbouring countries (from minority rights to women rights to constitutional rights), the HRAA works to promote awareness of International and European law rights, carrying out studies and professional workshops.
- Promoting the analysis and development of a common and complete understanding of European asylum law
- Promoting the cooperation among NGOs, both domestic and International ones, with a focus on South-Eastern Mediterranean area.
- To improve migrants’ conditions and to create a better comprehension on the subject, the HRAA promotes technical and informative workshops, providing data and legal opinions on the latest legal developments.
LEGAL RESOURCES
International Legal Instruments related to Refugee Law
International refugee law protects people who seek asylum from persecution, and those who have been recognized as refugees. The most important international legal instruments it comprises are:
The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (also known as Geneva Convention or 1951 Convention) and its 1967 Protocol are the most detailed and widely accepted international codification of refugee rights. The 1951 Convention provides a definition of “refugee” and spells out the legal status of refugees, including their rights and obligations. This page provides a short guide on the 1951 Convention and its main provisions. For a more comprehensive guide by UNHCR, see the ‘Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees‘.
The Convention governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa is the regional legal instrument governing refugee protection in Africa. It was adopted on 10 September 1969 at the sixth ordinary session of the Organization of African Unity, now African Union (AU). The 1969 Convention expanded the 1951 definition of refugee and introduced significant advances from the Geneva Convention – e.g. on refugee discrimination and the principle of non-refoulement. This page provides a short guide on the 1969 Convention and its main provisions.
The Cartagena Declaration on Refugees is a non-binding regional, i.e. Latin-American, instrument for the protection of refugees and was adopted in 1984 by delegates from 10 Latin-American countries and has since been incorporated into the national laws and state practices of 14 countries. Compared to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, and drawing from the OAU Convention, the Declaration allows a broader category of persons in need of international protection to be considered as refugees. This page provides a short guide on the 1984 Convention and its main provisions.
The Dublin III Regulation (previously the Dublin II Regulation and Dublin Convention) is a EU law that establishes the criteria and mechanisms for determining which EU Member State is responsible for the examination of an application for asylum, lodged by persons seeking international protection under the Geneva Convention and the EU Qualification Directive, within the EU.
Many countries in the Asia Pacific region are not parties to the Geneva Convention or its Protocol, but some are at least parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and/or the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This page focuses on international and regional instruments and initiatives relevant to refugee protection in the Asia Pacific region. An excellent resource for those interested in the protection practice of individual countries in the region is Pathways to Migrant Protection: A Mapping of National Practice for Admission and Stay on Human Rights and Humanitarian Grounds in Asia and the Pacific (United Nations, 2022).
General Resources
The Protection Manual is UNHCR’s repository of protection policy and guidance. It is updated whenever a new protection policy or guidance document is published, and can thus be relied upon to represent the latest UNHCR protection policy / guidance.
The Global Compact on Refugees is a framework affirmed on 17 December 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly for more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing, recognizing that a sustainable solution to refugee situations cannot be achieved without international cooperation. It provides a blueprint for governments, international organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure that host communities get the support they need and that refugees can lead productive lives. It’s four key objectives are to:
- Ease the pressures on host countries;
- Enhance refugee self-reliance;
- Expand access to third-country solutions;
- Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.
RSD Specific Resources
This collection of standards, guidelines, articles, and other documents support legal representatives to inform their representation of applicants with mental health needs, as well as psychologists and psychiatrists in their preparation of mental health assessments and reports.
This document builds on resources gathered by AMERA in collaboration with St. Andrew’s Refugee Services, Egypt. For more information visit our Therapeutic Legal Assistance Model and Mental Health Reports in Legal Processes pages.
The provision of medical evidence in Refugee Status Determination (RSD) procedures is fraught with challenges. Medical reports documenting asylum seekers’ physical and/or mental health are increasingly being used within RSD proceedings as objective evidence to support asylum claims. For more information, visit our dedicated page.
An approach for conducting RSD adjudication that supports wellbeing is through accompanying psychosocial support. Information and materials on the importance of psychosocial support before, during and after refugee status determination is provided here.
Understanding and application of psychological science in the asylum process is important to ensure that adjudication is fair, lessening the risk of denying protection to refugees. On this page we present a brief introduction to the psychological research that can be drawn on in representing people seeking international protection and adjudication of claims. You will also find links to further resources.
Asylum seekers have the right to legal representation at all stages of the RSD procedure and may have a legal representative accompany them to their interviews at UNHCR. This guide is intended to assist legal advocates to provide the best possible advocacy during the RSD interviews at UNHCR.
Case Law Databases
This page provides a list of online databases which gather domestic and international case law as well as specific case law by country or region.
Regional Human Rights Bodies and International Courts
States and their institutions can often fail to provide adequate help for refugees and asylum seekers. When a decision reached by a state is considered to be in breach of regional rules regarding the adequate treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, it is possible to challenge that decision before regional human rights bodies. See below to find information on each region.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated January 2023