FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 1

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provision of refugee legal aid

Editorial Team: Nora Danielson, Sara Gonzalez Devant, Themba Lewis, Yara Romariz Maasri

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I S S U E 1 5 ❖ M a y 2 0 1 1

Contributed by Danielle Grigsby, MSW, Interna8onal SocialWork, Refugee & Forced Migra8on Affiliate, FeinsteinInterna8onal Centre. English transla8ons of theRussian lawssourcedhereincanbefoundonlinehere.

ThecollapseoftheSovietUnionusheredinacomplexperiodinRussia’s experience of migraHon. The movement of peoplesonce considered ‘internal’ was now treated as external. Thesudden restricHng of borders necessitated the creaHon of asystemthatwashasHlycobbledtogether tomanagetheflowofpeople,whether economicmigrants or refugees,fromacrossthe Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Russia’sprimary focus was the near abroad, primarily in relaHon topersons on the move residing in the CIS. Two pieces oflegislaHonwereestablishedtodealwiththemovementofthisgroup,whowereseekingsafetyandstabilitywithintheRussianFederaHon: • The‘LawonRefugees’whichincludedspecificprovisionsforCISindividualsnotconsideredRussianciHzens • The ‘Lawon ForcedMigraHon’, which established asystemof support forRussiannaHonals, formallySoviet or other CISciHzens,residinginregionsoftheCIS.Notably,these two legal documentsmadenomenHonof,nordidtheyproffer anyconsideraHonfor,themigraHonofpeoplesfromoutside the CIS to Russia,which was occurring even in1991.

In 1993, however, Russia incorporated the right of poliHcalasylum into its ConsHtuHon, ArHcle 63(1), drawing on theformer‐Soviet ConsHtuHonal precedent (ConsHtuHon of theUSSR1918,art. 21;1936&1964, art.129;&1977art. 38).TheConsHtuHon was Russia’s only legal menHon of the rights ofrefugees within its borders, though, again, it was wriaen

specifically todeal with the influxof individualsfromtheCIS.Simultaneouslyin1993,RussiabecamepartytotheUN’s1951RefugeeConvenHonand1967Protocol,further relinquishingadegree of sovereignty by accepHng UNHCR oversight. Theseconcessionsweremade in an effort to copewith the chaoHcmigratoryflowsofthecountlessindividualswhohadlost theirciHzenship with the fall of the Soviet Union. This too hadprecedent in the Soviet Union astheUSSR had been partytothe UNHCR’s predecessor, the InternaHonal RefugeeOrganizaHon(IRO).

Over the next several years Russia was inundated withapplicaHons for asylum from those from the near abroad,seeking government support and assistance. Russia’s poorly‐arHculated,largelyunenforcedpoliciesallowedthis immigrantflow but led to an escalaHon in social and cross‐culturaltensions between the immigrants, refugees and hostcommuniHes.AmnestyInternaHonal andMemorial, aRussianHuman Rights organisaHon, reported an escalaHon inxenophobic aaacks and anH‐immigrant senHment during thelate 1990s. Regardless, migrants and refugees, takingadvantage of Russia’s porous borders, conHnued to enter enmasse, pulled by perceived regional prosperity, increasedaccesstolivelihoodsandthegeographicproximitytoEurope.

The UNHCR esHmates that there are now several hundredthousand non‐CIS forced migrants in the Russian FederaHon,mostcongregaHngintheurbanareas,mainlyMoscow(UNHCR,2010).ThisurbanconcentraHonfitswithinthegeneraltrendofurbanisaHoninRussia.ThemajorityoftheesHmated10milliondocumented and undocumented migrants in Russia havejoinedmostoftheRussianciHzenry(73%,accordingtoRussia’s2002census)ingravitaHngtowardciHes.

AriseinxenophobiaIn mid‐1990s Russia, migraHon consHtuted one of the mostdramaHcally contested policy issues. Due to lackadaisicalimplementaHon of itsmigraHon policy, porous borders and athriving shadow economy, the country was experiencing anunprecedented influx of undocumented workers. A complexseries of trafficking routes, shualing workers to and throughRussia, had been established.Immigrantswere primarily fromAfghanistan, accessing Russia through the Southern border.Thesemigrantspossessed cultural features similar to those ofindividuals from the highly contenHous Caucus region. ThisassociaHon,coupledwith businessowners’propensityto hireundocumented workers at lower wages, created an air of

Thesitua*onofrefugeesintheRussianFedera*on:somebackgroundforlegalaidproviders

Inthisissue:

REFUGEESINTHERUSSIANFEDERATION 1

KENYANREFUGEESINTRANSITIONALJUSTICE 3

OPPORTUNITIES 4

EVENTS&COURSES 8

CANADAINVIOLATIONONRETURNSTOUSA 9

REQUESTS 9

NEWS:AUSTRALIA,CYPRUS,NAMIBIA,ERITREANS 10

PUBLICATIONS 11

LINKS 12

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 2

NEWSAFRICASOUTH AFRICA: Asy lum seekers could faceimprisonmentduetonewlawEGYPT: UNHCR shuts Cairo office aker Sudaneserefugees demand resealement through protests;refugeesstrugglepost‐revoluHonLIBYA: Bulgaria evacuates Sudanese back to SudanpotenHallyexposingrefugeestorefoulement

ASIAPACIFICCAMBODIA: Cambodia urged to drop drak NGO lawthatwouldunderminecivilsocietyBANGLADESH:NewIDcardpolicycouldhitRohingyaasylum‐seekersEASTTIMOR:WithinoneweekEastTimorPMrejectsAustraliandetenHoncentre,Gillardinsists,andisrejectedagainMALAYSIA:AmnestyInternaHonal(AI)MalaysiaissuesstatementakerablazeinarefugeedetenHoncentre,wherecondiHonswerealreadypoorJAPAN: InformaHon released for refugees affected bytheearthquakeAUSTRALIA:Overhalfofasylum refusalsoverturnedonreview

MIDDLEEASTISRAEL:EritreanrefugeesuniteforgreaterrightsISRAEL:U.S. human rightsreport slams Israel'sconducttowardasylumseekers

EUROPEUNHCR: Report that asylum‐seeker numbers nearlyhalved in Europe and North America over the lastdecade raises quesHons about the increasingeffecHveness of obstacles to accessing asylumprocedures to claim asylum, the externalisaHon ofprocedures,andgrowingnumbersoffailedapplicantsUNHCR:400 feared dead aker boats carryingSomalis,Ethiopians and Eritreans fleeing Libya go missing inMediterraneanIRELAND:poorestrecordintheEUforgranHngasylumITALY/GERMANY: Germany and France threaten toreinstate border controls in the EU aker Italy issuestemporary residence permits for refugees fleeingTunisia.UK/ZIMBABWE: refugees threatened with deportaHonintheUKgoundergroundasNGOsurgegovernment towaitunHlakertheelecHonsEU: Migreurope comments on EU readmissionagreements

AMERICASEnHrelyadverseCalifornia9th Circuitdecision regardingLGBTasylumandMexicopublished

instability, mistrust and general dislike between the Russian ‘host’communityandtheenclavesofforeign,ethnicminoriHes.

Simultaneously fueling the rise in an undocumented shadoweconomy, Russiaexperiencedextremeout‐migraHon,which,coupledwithadecrease inchildbirth,has led toanegaHvegrowth rate;thepopulaHonconHnuestodecrease byapproximately700,000peopleper year.Theinfluxof immigrants,at800,000–1,000,000individualsper year, offsets the potenHally crippling economic effects of thisphenomenon. Unsurprisingly, the primary industries accessible toRussia’s migrant populaHon seek less‐skilled labourers. Thus,whileRussiaexperiencesvacancies in its highly‐skilled workforce it hasasurplus ofworkers in its industrial services sector.This hascreatedanimosity between Russian naHonals and immigrants, nowcompeHngforaccesstolivelihoods.

The economic instability, out‐migraHon and increase in labourcompeHHonofthe1990sbroughtwithitextremeanxietyaroundtheerosion of anaHonal idenHty.Russian youth,unaccustomed to thepresence of foreigners, who they perceived as threatening toRussian‐ness, established a naHonalist movement with extremistviews,ideologies and racist tendencies (Shashkin:2008, 2).A newfascism has prevailed in the face of the perceived threat toethnocentrism.Overthepastdecadeithasmorphedintooneoftheworld’slargest,funcHoningfascistenclaves(ibid.).At thesameHme,thegovernment remained slow in devisinga system for regulaHngthemigraHon of refugees frombeyond the near abroad, failing tomiHgate theculturalrisein xenophobia.Theonsetof the1994warin Chechnyaincreasedfearof foreign‐backedterroristuprisingsanda heightened increaseof anH‐immigrant senHment. This posited aHpping‐point, forcing the Government to create more strictregulatory measures governing the migraHon of foreign naHonalsintoRussia.

Following the 1994 Chechnya war, Moscow finally revisited itspoliciesinrelaHontoapplicaHonsforasylum,providingforindividualclaimants from outside the former‐CIS.But the resulHng1997 Lawon Refugees,whichreplaced the 1993version,was enacted duringthiseraofextremeanH‐migrant,xenophobicfervor.Therefore,whilebringinga changeinpolicy, itsHming,coupledwith lackofpoliHcalwill, lek the details of the revised Law on Refugees largelyunimplemented. This lack of clarity on legal processes of asylumclaimsremainstothisday.

Inresponsetotheincrease inmigrant‐specificviolence,theRussiangovernment imposedaseriesofpuniHvepoliciesaimingto halt theflow of undocumented workers, both refugees and economicmigrants.TheserestricHons includeemployerfines,strict documentchecks and, seemingly, the incenHvised promoHon of deportaHon.Non‐CISmigrants report being stopped by the police for randomdocumentscreeningsnearlyeachHmetheymustventureoutside(aright given to the police through the propiska laws, a set ofrestricHve laws, retained from the former communist state, thatgovern themovement and registraHon of all peoplein theRussianFederaHon). Police oken penalise refugees and migrants whileconducHng these document checks, declaring aspects ofdocumented refugeesand immigrantspapers as somehow false,or

Continued on page 5

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 3

Contributed by BernadeIe Iyodu, Senior Legal Officer/Coordinator oftheAsylumandDurableSolu8onsProgramme,RefugeeLawProject,FacultyofLaw,MakerereUniversity.

ThisarHcleaimsatcontribuHngto thevast transiHonal jusHceliterature by using Kenya’s Truth, JusHce and ReconciliaHonCommission (TJRC) as a case study to illustrate the complexrelaHonshipbetweenforcedmigraHonandtransiHonaljusHce.

Kenya’s2007naHonalpresidenHalelecHonsweremarkedwithviolenceresulHnginlossoflivesandwidespreaddisplacement.Consequently,aTruth, JusHce and ReconciliaHonCommission(TJRC) was established with a view to conduct invesHgaHonsintotheviolence.OnThursday, 26thMarch,2011, membersoftheTJRC led byAcHngChairperson Ms.TeclaWanjala visitedKenyan refugees, living in Kiryandongo refugee sealement innorth‐western Uganda, who had been displaced by thisviolence. The visit fundamentally contributed to thedevelopment of transiHonal jusHce processes in the GreatLakes Region by pracHcally facilitaHng the parHcipaHon ofrefugees living in exile in the development of transnaHonaljusHcemechanisms.It representsastepforwardindevelopingand understanding the complex relaHonship between forcedmigraHonandtransiHonaljusHce.1

Duringthevisit,CommissionofficialsconductedinterviewsanddiscussionsonhowrefugeescanbeincludedinthetransiHonaljusHce processes about to kick off in Kenya, inviHng thecommunityto air out their grievances and offer suggesHons.Concernswerevoiced over thepossibilitythatthosewhofledtheelecHon violence of2007wouldbe automaHcallylabelledas perpetrators upon their return, along with uncertainHesover repossessing properHes, including land; people alsoquesHonedwhethertheycouldenjoysecurityuponreturn.

TheTJRCalso in turn recordedrefugees’tesHmoniesto sharewiththerestofthecountryandforinclusioninthetransiHonaljusHceprocesses.ParHcipants’willingness tospeakoncameraabouttheir experiencesas refugees andfearsassociated withreturn are indicaHve of the importance aaached to thetransiHonal jusHce processbyKenyan refugees. It remains tobeseenwhether therefugees’viewswillbeincorporatedintotheemergingKenyanprocessandwhetherdoingsowillenablethem obtain jusHce and eventually facilitate return for thispopulaHon.

BackgroundtotheKenyanrefugeesitua8onThe Kenyan refugees presently in Uganda arrived in thecountrybetween2007and2008asaresultoftheviolencethateruptedduringthe2007KenyanpresidenHalelecHons.SinceitgainedindependencefromBritainin 1963,Kenyahadenjoyeda reputaHon of a relaHvelystable democracywithin theEastAfrican region unHl the disputed 2007 presidenHal elecHonsled to the worst ethnic unrest in Kenya changing the statusquo.ItwasthefirstHmeKenyageneratedsignificantnumbers

of refugees as well as IDPs, thus joining the ranks of otherrefugeegeneraHngcountriesintheGreatLakesregion.

The Office of the United NaHons High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR) in 2008 reported thatover 12,000Kenyanrefugees had crossed into Uganda. Some of the Kenyanrefugees returned spontaneously soon aker arrival. Others,however, found themselves unable to return as long as theissues which contributed to their flight remainedunresolved.As is usually the case with residual populaHons that remainaker repatriaHon, individuals in this group cited a variety ofindividual and community concerns related to return. Asrefugees cannot be returned (refouled) to their country oforigin under duress (1951 ConvenHon, arHcle 33(1)), suchresidual populaHons oken remain in the country of asylumpermanently or unHl they become convinced that condiHonshave improvedsufficientlyfor themto bewillingto riskgoinghome. A demonstrated willingness on the part of the homecountry to engage in transiHonal jusHce processes, improvegovernance and otherwise aim to ensure that the originalviolencedoesnot recur can be keyto facilitaHngreturn.Therefugee community consultaHons carried out in Kiryandongorefugee sealement camp can be viewed as an aaempt torestoreconfidenceamongtherefugeesthroughdemonstraHngthat theKenyan state isgenuine in its desirefor an inclusiveandjustsociety.

Transi8onal jus8ce:offeringthehopeofadurablesolu8on forrefugeesSocieHeswith legaciesof past human rightsabuses andmassatrocity (including genocide and civil war) uHlise transiHonaljusHcemechanisms asameans ofbuildinga democraHc, justand peaceful future.2 TransiHonal jusHce relies in part oninternaHonal lawto provide thelegal frameworksnecessaryinorder to hold states responsible for ensuring the halHng ofongoing human rights abuses, invesHgaHng past crimes,idenHfying persons responsible for human rights violaHons,3prevenHng future human rights abuses, preserving andenhancing peace, providing reparaHons to vicHms, andfosteringindividualandnaHonalreconciliaHon.4

TheinclusionofallaffectedparHes,andofvicHmsinparHcular,in the planning and execuHon of any transiHonal jusHceprocesshasincreasinglybeenrecognisedascrucialtosuccess,and has resulted in the increased popularityof quasi‐judicialbodies such as truth and reconciliaHon commissions whichprovide greater opportunity for vicHm parHcipaHon thanformal legal processes. Including the voice of vicHms in theprocess is now recognised as a crucial component of jusHceand is held forth by some as conducive to psychologicalhealing. By including voices in exile in the transiHonal jusHceprocesses, decision‐makers can hope to increase thewillingnesstoreturnamongthosewhohavebeenconsultedbydemonstraHngthevaluetheyaaachtotherefugeesasciHzensand communicaHngacceptance. Thepsychological impact forforcedmigrantsoffeelingheardcannotbeoveremphasised.

Kenyanrefugeesheardawayfromhome:theinclusionofrefugeesintransi*onaljus*ceprocesses

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 4

O P P O R T U N I T I E S

BursaryforrecentlawgraduatesforworkrelevanttoUnitedKingdomhumanrightslawThe Human Rights Lawyers AssociaHon seeks applicaHonsfrom recent graduates of a law degree (undergraduate orpostgraduate) for a bursary scheme to enable them to dowork placements, internships, and volunteer or underpaidwork that they would otherwise be unable to afford. SuchworkneednottakeplaceintheUnitedKingdombutmustberelevanttoUnitedKingdomhumanrightslaw.FulldetailsandapplicaHon forms are online. TheapplicaHon deadline is 8thMay,2011.

Fellowships: public interest lawyers from Egypt, Jordan,Lebanon,Morocco,Pales*neandTunisiaIn response to the dramaHc changes taking place in theMiddle East and North Africa, the Global Network in PublicInterest Law (PILnet) seeks applicaHons from public interestlawyers Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, PalesHne andTunisia to join its 10‐month program of public interestadvocacy training, starHng August 2011 based in New YorkandHungary.FurtherdetailsandapplicaHonformsareonline.TheapplicaHondeadlineis9thMay,2011.

Grants for programmes of assistance for survivors ofcontemporaryformsofslaveryThe United NaHons VoluntaryTrust Fund on ContemporaryFormsofSlavery,whichhasfundedaFahamucourseonchildsoldiers for legal aidproviders in Turkey andCairo,allocatesproject grants (up to $US15,000) for humanitarian, legal andfinancialassistanceprogrammes to individualswhosehumanrightshavebeenseverelyviolatedasaresultofcontemporaryformsof slavery.Projects undertaken with the Fund’s grantsinclude medical, psychological, educaHon and housingassistance, vocaHonal training, income generaHon projects,rehabilitaHon centres and projects to idenHfy and releasebondedlabourers.FurtherdetailsandapplicaHonforms,tobesubmiaed byemail, are online. The applicaHon deadline is31stMay,2011.

AMERArecrui*ngforinternshipprogrammeinEgyptAfrica and Middle East Refugee Assistance (AMERA) seeksvolunteer Psychological Counsellors, Psychosocial Interns,SGBVInternsandUnaccompaniedMinorsInterns. InternshipsarebasedinCairo,Egypt, full‐HmeforaminimumduraHonof7.5months and begin on 10th July, 2011with twoweeks ofintensive training. Those interested should applyimmediately.Fulldetailsareonlinehere.

To date, policy connecHons between transiHonal jusHce andforced migraHon have largely been limited to the internaldisplacement context.For example, the 2009 UN FrameworkonDurableSoluHonsstates:

IDPswhohavebeenvicHmsofviolaHonsofinternaHonalhumanrightsorhumanitarianlaw,includingarbitrarydisplacement,musthave fullandnon‐discriminatoryaccesstoeffecHve remedies andaccessto jusHce, including,where appropriate,accesstoexisHngtransiHonal jusHce mechanisms, reparaHons and informaHononthecausesofviolaHons.

TheUN Frameworkon Durable SoluHons also holdsthat it isprimarilyresponsible for addressingtheneedsof itsdisplacedpopulaHon with the assistance ofhumanitarian agencies andother internaHonal organisaHons. The same logic which hasbeen used in the internal displacement context caneasilybeextended also to externally displaced refugee populaHons,parHcularlyassimilar factorsareokenatplayinboth internaland external displacement. In some conflicts, it may be amaaerofmerechancewhetherthecampanindividualfleestois locatedononeor theother sideofan internaHonalborder.For the refugees who fled the Kenyan elecHon violence, themerefactofhavingcrossedaninternaHonalbordershouldnotact as a hindrance to their accessing effecHve remediesincluding exisHng or prospecHve transiHonal jusHcemechanisms including reparaHons and the ability to speakpubliclyabouttheviolenceofwhichtheyhavebeenvicHms.In the Great Lakes Region a tendency has developed forcountries to indiscriminately label those who flee acrossbordersastheperpetratorsoftheviolence.Indeed,therehavebeeninstanceswhereperpetratorshavefounditeasiertohideamong bona fide refugees outside of their country’sjurisdicHon.5Aboveall, however,thisargumenthasprovideda

convenient excuse for regimes unwilling to examine andaddressthe oken deeplyrooted social andpoliHcal problemsthat manifest in sporadic violence.With thosewho fled bothconveniently absent and vilified by the authoriHes, formerneighbourswhoremainedinthecountrycanbenefitfromtheircompatriots’ inability to return by takingover their land andproperty.Oncethishappens,itbecomesevenmoredifficultforrefugees to risk return. Moreover, return, also known asvoluntary repatriaHon, is considered the preferred durablesoluHon because it is the closest to resHtuHon, theoreHcallyplacingtherefugeein roughlythesameposiHon theywere inpriortoflight.

TheKenyanTRJC’sdecision toreflect thevoicesofthoselivingin exile in the transiHonal jusHce process demonstrates arespect for the refugees’ rights as Kenyan ciHzens, and alsomakes iteasier for individualstomakeinformed decisionsonwhether toconHnuelivingin exileorreturnhome inthenearfuture. A majority of the refugees were excited to makecontactwith fellowcountrymen involved in thereconciliaHondiscussions,andcommentedthattheyhavenot,akerall, beenforgoaen as they had feared. They described at length therefugeeexperienceandexpressedhopethattheywillbeableto return home once their issues have been resolved by theTRJC andassurancesofsafetyhavebeenmade forwhentheychoosetoreturn.

Although thetrue impactofthissingle consultaHon isnotyetknown,itneverthelessremainsnoteworthythatvoicesinexilehave been included in transiHonal jusHce processes. Insummary, through its groundbreaking decision to include

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 5

refugee voices in its consultaHons, the Kenyan TRJC haseffecHvely acknowledged and acted upon a liale understoodlinkbetweentransiHonaljusHceandforcedmigraHon.

ConclusionThisgesturebytheKenyanTJRCcanbesummarisedas‘leadingbyexample’. Africa’shistoryismarkedbycivil unrest resulHngin gross human rights violaHons and massive populaHonmovements.Given thesehistorical circumstances, it is crucialthat transiHonal jusHceprocesses in the region be capable ofaddressingissuesofrefugeeflight.TheKenyanTRJChasprovedthat itispossibletobelivinginexileandyetsHll beheardandincluded in the jusHce processes of one’s country.Whetherdisplaced internally or externally, those who flee violencedeserve the right to parHcipate as ciHzens in rebuilding,reshaping and transforming their country. More work isneeded in the transiHonal jusHce field to determine the bestways in which vicHms forced into flight can be heard. InparHcular,explicitconnecHonsmustbemadebetweenvicHms’righttoresHtuHonandrefugees’right toreturnhomeinsafetyand dignity.With Kenya taking the leadand Ugandaabout toembark on its own transiHonal jusHce process aimed ataddressing the legacy of themorethan two‐decadecivilwarbetween the Lord’s ResistanceArmyand theGovernment ofUganda,thequesHon remains:will our country,Uganda,takeKenya’s example to heart and include the diaspora in itsdeliberaHons?•

1There have beenprevious studiesconducted in thisareaanalysingthe relaHonship between refugees, internally displacedpersons andtransiHonal jusHce. For example some authors have argued thatrefugees, like internallydisplacedpersonshave a primary interest tobeacHvelyinvolvedinprocesses thatimprove the condiHonsintheircountries of origin. See Susan Harris Rimmer (2010) Reconceivingrefugeesandinternallydisplacedpersonsastransi8onaljus8ceactors.2 The Encyclopedia of Genocide andWar Crimes Against Humanity(2004)vol.3pp1045‐1047.3 The four Geneva Covenants and First AddiHonal Protocol obligesstates to invesHgate and charge those responsible for breach ofinternaHonalhumanitarianlaw; seeCovenantI,arHcle49; CovenantII, arHcle 50; Covenant III, arHcle 129; Covenant IV, arHcle 146;ProtocolI,arHcle85.4 Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy andReparaHon for VicHms of Gross ViolaHons of InternaHonal HumanRightsLaw andSeriousViolaHonsof InternaHonalHumanitarianLaw,General Assembly ResoluHon60/147of 16December 2005; ontheright to an effecHve remedy, see ConvenHon for the ProtecHon ofHuman Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, arHcle 13 and AfricanCharter on HumanPeoples’ RightsarHcle 7; The right toa remedyandreparaHonforvicHmsofviolaHonsof internaHonalhumanrightsandhumanitarianlaw ‐Note by the HighCommissioner for HumanRights‐E/CN.4/2003/63–27December20025Anexample ofsituaHonswhere perpetratorshave hiddenamongstbona fide refugees is the case of the 1994 Rwanda genocide;perpetrators took advantage of mass vicHms and survivors of thegenocide flights to neighbouring states seeking refuge and weregrantedprima facie refugee status.See InternaHonalRefugee RightsIniHaHve & Refugee Law Project (2010) A dangerous impasse:RwandanrefugeesinUganda.

racially profiling individuals to terrorise undocumentedworkers. Common penalHes include severe fines, physicalassault,abuse,jailingordeportaHon.

ThesepoliciesandtheirblatantdiscriminatoryimplementaHonhave served as vindicaHon for the fascist movement’s anH‐immigrant campaigns. Now esHmated to be nearly 30,000strong, the neo‐Nazi programme led anH‐immigrant riots inMoscow inthe laaerpartof2010.Rioterschanted ‘two‐eight‐two’atgovernmentofficials,acalltorepealRussia’shatecrimebill, Law 282. This anH‐immigrant senHment has receivedfurther momentumwith thesporadic terrorist aaackson theRussiancapital,most recentlyabombing inMoscow’sbusiestairporton24th January,2011.Theseaaacks,aaributed largelyto the Chechen separaHst movement in the south of Russia,have been met by anH‐immigrant, xenophobic senHmentsthroughout thegeneralRussianpublic. Refugees,being largelyindisHnguishable from economic migrants, frequently fallvicHm to anH‐immigrant fervor. These senHments pose asignificant threat to refugee service providers’ abiliHes tosustaintheirservices.

NGOinterven8oncapacityThe current trend in Russia is to decentralise social welfareservices, relegaHng care responsibiliHes to private sectorindustries. The Russian legal system provides no status to

privatechariHes,whichmustfendforthemselvesinhelpingtheincreasingly large number of urban poor. Russian societygenerally distrusts chariHes, partly because such insHtuHonsdid not exist either in Tsarist Hmes or in theSoviet era, andpartly because of the difficult economic condiHons of the1990s. Yet, simultaneously, the government is restricHng thelegalrighttheseprivateorganisaHonshavetomeet theneedsofcriHcallyvulnerablepopulaHons,especiallyrefugees.

In2006 the Russian government passed Federal LawNo. 7 FZOnNonprofitOrganizaHons(hereakertheNGOLaw)thatlimitsforeign humanitarian and human rights operaHons in Russia.This law was born out of fear of a Ukrainian‐style ‘OrangeRevoluHon’ in Russia, which the government believed wasprimarily funded by foreign aid organisaHons working inUkraine. TheNGO law created adifficult registraHon process,sHpulaHngthebarringfromRussiaofanyNGOwhose‘purposeand goals conflict with the ConsHtuHon or legislaHon of theRussian FederaHon’ or if the purpose and goals of the NGOthreaten ‘sovereignty, poliHcal independence, territorialintegrity,naHonal unity,uniquecharacter,cultural heritage, ornaHonal interests of the Russian FederaHon.’ As a resultcountless agencies have been forced to close for non‐compliance. Others have taken their services ‘underground’and conHnue to operate inMoscowon an adhoc basis withvaryingstrategiestoavoidgovernmentaaenHon.

RefugeesintheRussianFederaHon continued from page 2

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 6

Themostglaringissuesfacingurbanrefugees inMoscowaretheinhospitablelegal standardstowhichtheyaresubjected.As a result, the focus of Russia’s few refugee advocacyagencies (primarilyUNHCR andMemorial) is onsecuringthereformofthesepolicies. UNHCR (2010) agreeswith Silvestriand Techernishova (2009) that revising the Russian legalsystem isthe foremostnecessity.Theyalso seekto graduallyphase out ‘direct materialassistanceto themost vulnerableasylum‐seekers’andintendto‘handthisresponsibilityovertootheractorsbytheendof2011’(ibid. 2009,p.11).Interviewsconducted with UNHCR workers reveal that they aim to‘gradually reduce our direct acHviHes and direct support toasylum‐seekers...instead[to]empowerourlegalpartnerstoprofessionally support individuals throughout the naHonalprocedure’ (UNHCR interview, 2011).Thus, theemphasis ofreformforRussia’sforcedmigrants is solelybasedwithin thelegal frame, making no menHon of the social aspects ofmaintaining human security. There is no concerted effort tocontribute tothesurvivalof refugees inMoscow,asagenciesconHnue to succumb to Moscow’s unwelcoming policies.However,thisdoesnotmeanthatnewrefugeeshaveceasedto arrive in Moscow, nor that those already there havedeparted. Refugees arrive daily, in ‘psychologically’destabilisedstatesandareindesperateneedofan integratedserviceapparatustoassisttheminnavigaHnglifeinMoscow.

CurrentpolicyanditsshortcomingsThe 1997 Law on Refugees openly diverges from the 1951Refugee ConvenHon as it provides no certain guaranteeagainst refoulement; furthermore, the arHcles that seem tooffer specific protecHon to refugees remain largelyunimplemented.Researchconducted inMoscowfromJune–August2010foundthefollowingproblems: •Unwelcoming RSD policies: ArHcle 5.1 (7) of the 1997LawonRefugeesestablishesaHmeframeof24hoursuponarrival in Russia during which an asylum seeker mustregister a claim with the regional authority, or localMinistryof Interioroffice.AviolaHonof the24‐hour Hmelimitcanserveasabasisfordenialofasylum.

• Temporary AccommodaHon Centres (TACs): ArHcle 5.1(7) further states that asylum seekers, upon registeringtheirclaim,aretobesentdirectlytoaTAC.Thisisokennotimplemented as TACs are commonly full, leaving the

asylum seeker to find accommodaHon for themselves,though they lack the legal authorisaHon (or a propiska,discussedbelow)toacquirehousing.

• LocaHons of Temporary AccommodaHon Centres: TACsarelocatedthroughouttheRussianFederaHonandatgreatdistances frommetropolitan areas.TransportaHon to andfroma TAC and nearest metropolitan area is oken costlyand dangerous. In February 2004 three young Afghanrefugees were traveling into Moscow from a TAC locatednorthofthecityonacommuter train.Theywereharassedby a group of young Russian men. WanHng to extricatethemselves from the situaHon, they aaempted to crossinto the next train car. The Russian youth followed therefugeesand,when theywere intheclosed compartmentbetweenthetwocars,proceededtostabthemrepeatedly,resulHng in one death, two criHcally wounded and anenHre refugee community traumaHsed (UNHCR, 2004).What’smore,TAClocaHonsprovidelimitedaccesstowork.

• Failureto regulatepolice‐supportedviolence,seentobetargeHngnon‐CISrefugees:209 individualsofsub‐SaharanAfricandescentparHcipatedinastudyofracially‐moHvatedaaacks in Moscow. This study was conducted by theMoscowProtestantChaplaincy(unpublished2009).Eachofthe individuals represented had been a vicHm of racially‐moHvated violence. 72 accounts of race‐related violence,perpetrated against a total of 48 individuals (someindividualsreportedmorethanoneactofviolence,resultsincluded) were reported to the policewith the followingresults:

•Moreover,thepolicetargetnon‐CISrefugeesinfrequentdocument checks and fail—or refuse—to recognise theUNHCR’s refugee registraHon documents. Thesedocumentsdonot equalrefugeestatus inRussia,but theydo allowfor temporaryresidence,aboutwhichthepoliceareeitheruninformedorpurposefullyignorant.InaddiHon,thepolice extort heavyfinesfor document violaHon, takethe refugee to jail, or worse, place them in deportaHonproceedings.All refugees interviewed hadbeenvicHmsofpoliceextorHon,someasokenasthreeHmesaday.

•Lackof communicaHonand coordinaHon betweenOfficeofInternalAffairsandFederalMigraHonServices(FMS):Ifarefugee claim is denied by the FMS, asylum seekers arelegally allowed the right of appeal either to the FMS orUNHCR, but a claim must be filed at the moment anegaHve RSD decision is made. If no appeal is filed, therefugee no longer possesses the right to remain in theRussianFederaHon.Their caseisthen transferredfromtheFMStotheMinistryofInternalAffairswhocaneitherplacethemunder formaldeportaHonproceedingsorgrantthemtheir right to temporary refugee status for humanitarianreasons—thus avoidingdirect refoulement.Fortunately,ornot, there exists liale coordinaHon between the twofederaldepartments.Weak,non‐enforcedpolicies1)allowmany migrants who have been denied asylum to slipthrough the ‘cracks’ and remain in the country withoutpermission and2)allow refugeeswhoare at riskofbeingrefouled tobedeported,indirectviolaHonof internaHonal

The Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid NewsleIer isd i s t r i bu ted i n Pambazuka  News , t heauthorita8ve pan‐African electronic weeklynewsleIer and plaYorm for social jus8ce inAfrica. With over 1000 contributors and morethan500,000readers,PambazukaNewsprovidescu^ng edge commentary and in‐depth analysison poli8cs and current affairs, development,human rights, refugees, gender issues andculture in Africa. Visit online or subscribe byemail.

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 7

law.Seven Afghan interviewees provided lists of names oftheirfamilymembersorfriendswhohadbeendeportedasaresult of the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ (MIA’s) failure torecognise the FMS’s temporary asylum permits for RSDproceedings.

•Lack of communicaHon and coordinaHon between federaland regionalofficesoftheFMS:Therearereportsofasylumseekersbeingdeniedrefugeestatusinoneregion,relocaHngand being granted status in another (all, outside policybounds, further exemplifying the policy ’s chaoHcimplementaHon).

•Ill‐arHculated propiska policies in relaHon to forcedmigrants:Propiska isaset ofrestricHve lawsthat governthemovement and registraHon of all people in the RussianFederaHon.Thepropiska laws havebeen retained from theformer communist state. Official Russian documentaHon isrequired to access the benefits of movement, work andresidence in a new city. Without such documentaHonpropiska lawsrestrictaccesstohousing,work,hospitals, andsoon.Refugees,whoarecommonlyinRussiawithoutproperdocumentaHon, must conduct their contractual dealingsoutsidetheboundsofpropiska,increasingtheirvulnerability.

•Access to interpreters: Of 65 interviews conducted withnon‐CISasylum seekers,59 individualswerenot offered aninterpreterwhentheyarrivedattheFMSoffices.

UNHCRReseIlementand/orRepatria8on •Access to UNHCR: In my interviews, refugees expressed

theirfrustraHonwiththelocaHonoftheUNHCRandthecostand danger associated with travel to the office. They alsodiscussed thedifficult processof securingan interviewwiththeUNHCRworkers (oken requiringadvocacyfroma socialservice provider and securing an interpreter beforehand),andthelongbacklogininterviews(refugeestoldofthree‐tofour‐monthdelaystosecureanappointment). RefugeesmustfirstberejectedbytheFMSbeforetheUNHCRwillheartheircase,at thispointon appeal,therefore,aprolongedwait forin‐take appointments places refugees in an extremelyvulnerable,extra‐legallimbo.

•Understanding UNHCR services: Refugees—for the mostpart—donotunderstandtheUNHCR,theservicesitprovidesand the standards for service selecHon that are used.Interviewees, when asked to explain UNHCR funcHons,provided verydifferent, contradicHngandnever completelyaccurate descripHons of the agency. Moreover, refugeesregisteredwith theUNHCR areokenunawarethat theyarenot recognised as refugeesin Russiaand are in violaHon ofpropiskalaws.

•Understanding of InternaHonal OrganizaHon for MigraHon(IOM):The IOMis responsible for referrals for resealementfromUNHCR.LiketheUNHCR,refugeesdonotunderstanditspurpose,northeroleitplaysintheirresealement.

•Understanding of resealement procedures: Similar to theUNHCR and IOM, refugees fail to understand the generalresealementapplicaHonprocesswithoccasional detrimentalresults.Refugees,not understanding the system,frequentlyself‐applyfor visasor refugeeresealementat their embassy

of choosing.ThisacHonhasresulted inasummarydenialoftheir case—due to improper documentaHon and lack ofproceduraladherencewhichleadstheresealementofficertoassumetheasylumseekerisfalsifyinginformaHon.

•Understanding of repatriaHon procedures: Refugees okendo not know or understand theprocess involved in right ofreturn. Lack of proper documentaHon within propiska exitstandards can make repatriaHon a very difficult, if notimpossible, task. For, included under propiska, individualsmaynotexitRussiawithoutproperdocumentaHonindicaHngtheirrighttobeinRussiatobeginwith.

Safetyandsecurity •DeportaHon: Due to irregular policy implementaHon

refugees are frequently subjected to deportaHon.Refugeeswhose claims have been rejected by the FMS can then begranted Temporary Asylum Status (TAS, Law on RefugeesArHcle 12.2(2)) by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).However,thisstatusisokennotrecognisedbyofficialswithintheFMSor thepolice forceasoneauthorisingthe refugee’spresence in Russia and the documents are subsequentlyrejected. Thus,refugees granted TASare commonly treatedas beingwithout proper or recognisable documentaHon inviolaHon of Russian Law.Under the1997 Law on Refugees,individualsfound in violaHonofanylaw (evenpropiska)aresubject to immediate expulsion from the country, orimmediate revocaHon of refugee status, even if it hadpreviously been granted (Law on Refugees ArHcle 5.1(1)).These conflicHng policies are in direct violaHon of theguaranteeofnon‐refoulement.

Perceived gaps in services provided by the refugee serviceproviders

•Language‐barriers: Refugees oken do not speak Russian,theworkinglanguageusedbymostserviceproviders.

•LocaHon/lackof offices: Refugees expressed frustraHon inthelocaHon of serviceofficesor thatmanyagencies donothave offices (a result of inhospitable Russian policy thatmakesitdifficultfornon‐RussianorganisaHonstosecuresafeofficespace or housing).The service providersmakeuse ofcentralised cafes to provide direct‐consultaHon services, orconduct infrequent home visits due to these visits’ hightravel‐relatedcostduetomost clients’prohibiHveresidenHaldistancefromtown.

•Legal services: The Moscow‐based human rightsorganisaHon, Memorial, acHng on the results of the UNConference on Forced MigraHon in 1996, has created anetwork of consultaHve service providers for refugees inRussia. Asa result refugeeshave access to 40 legal centresthroughout theRussian FederaHon.Thoserefugeeswhoareaware of the availability of these services recognise thebenefits of consulHngthem.However, the legal centresareunderstaffed, so refugees must endure long delays.Furthermore,most refugeesfail toestablish relaHonshipsoftrust with their legal advocates. AddiHonally, UNHCRannounced in 2010 that they would begin a gradualreducHonindirect legal‐advisoryservicestorefugeesinstead

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 8

E V E N T S & C O U R S E S

Cairoshortcourses,June2011:refugeelaw,psychosocialneeds,irregularmigra*onThecentreforMigraHonandRefugeeStudiesat theAmericanUniversityinCairoseeksapplicaHonsfor threeJuneshortcoursesopento legal aidproviders: IntroducHon toRefugee Law,5th–9th June,taught byParastouHassouri;MeeHngthePsychosocialNeedsofRefugees,12th–16th June, taught byNancyBaron; and Understanding IrregularMigraHon, 19th–23th June,taught byPhilipMarfleet. TuiHon for eachcourseis$US500,anddoesnotincludeaccommodaHonorfood. FurtherdetailsandapplicaHonformsareonline.TheapplicaHondeadlineis5thMay,2011.

Childsoldiers:aone‐dayconference,27thMay,2011,London,UnitedKingdomAone‐dayconference, aimedatlegalandtherapeuHcprofessionalswhoworkwithtraumaHsedchildren(especiallythoseforciblyrecruited aschild soldiers) in asylum proceedings,will explorethedifferent roles and remit of lawyers and therapists in thisprocessandtheparHcularchallengesfacingpracHHoners.Fulldetailsareavailablehere.

SummerschoolonEUimmigra*onandasylumlawTheOdysseusSummer SchoolonImmigraHonandAsylumPolicyoftheEuropeanUnionwilltakeplaceinBrusselsfrom4h–15hJuly, 2011.ThecourseaimstoprovideitsparHcipantswithacomprehensiveunderstandingoftheimmigraHonandasylumpolicyoftheEU fromalegalpointofview.LessonsareconductedbyacademicmembersoftheOdysseusNetworkandwillbeinbothEnglish andFrench. TuiHonfeesare€600(for students25or under),€700(forNGOsandPhDstudents) and€800(for those infull‐Hmeemployment), excludingfood and accommodaHon,and no assistance isavailable. Theclosingdate for applicaHonsis10thJune,2011.

SummerschoolontheInterna*onalCriminalCourt,June2011,IrelandFrom19th–23th June,2011theIrishCentreforHumanRights(ICHR)willholditstenthannual summer schoolinGalway,Ireland,ontheInternaHonalCriminalCourt.ThecoursewillcoverthesubjectmaaerjurisdicHonofthecourt(warcrimes,crimesagainsthumanity,genocide,andthecrimeofaggression),itsprocedures,defences,thepoliHcalcontext inwhichitoperates, andrelatedquesHonsofinternaHonal criminal law.Thecourseissuitableforlegal scholars, pracHHoners,socialscienHstsand studentswhowish to deepen their knowledge of the court. It costs €750 including accommodaHon, or €450 without; no scholarships orassistanceareavailable.Non‐EUparHcipantswhorequirevisasareencouraged tomakearrangementsasearlyaspossible;theICHRcanprovideaninvitaHonleaerifneeded.FurtherinformaHonisavailableonlineandbyemail.

relying on Memorial’s coaliHon of legal advocates to assistrefugees intheir appellate claimsfor asylum(InterviewwithIrinaConovalioftheUNHCR11thFebruary,2011).

•Lack of financial assistance: Refugees are largelyaware ofservice provider’s ability to provide some sort of financialassistanceinotherurbansezngs.MostprovidersinMoscoware unable to do so, instead offering irregular in‐kinddonaHons of warm clothing and foodstuffs. Therefore, therefugeescannotrelyonanyagencyforsupport.

•Perceived favoriHsm:Moscow’srefugeepopulaHon tends toorganise their lives by naHonality. Ad‐hoc service providershave sprungup in themidst of these communiHes led byformer refugees—who have since received RussianciHzenship—of the same naHonality. There are also someRussianand foreign‐funded aid groups.The former are saidto be delivering preferenHal services to individuals withintheirownnaHonality. Thatbenefitsareavailabletorefugeesis resented bypoor Russiansand thosewho havemigratedfrom the ‘near abroad’. This resentment leads to moreinsecurityoftherefugees.

•DetenHon: Refugees are unaware of their rights whendetainedbythepolice.Simpleknowledgeofrightsdoesnotguarantee their realisaHon.However, knowledge sharing ofmethodsthroughwhichto secureaccesstocounsel,contactwithfamilyandtheabilitytopostbailisseriouslyneeded.

As a result of the current law’s shortcomings and subsequentlack of implementaHon,thousandsof refugees havebeen leklargelyunrecognised,unassisted,unprotectedandvulnerableinRussia’s increasinglynegaHve environment.While revisions tothelawweremadein1998andagain in2000,theywereminorandservedtorecHfynoneofthepolicygaps,nordidtheymakeanysubstanHaldifferencetothelegislaHonitself.•

ReferencesExComofUNHCR. (2004).CountryoperaHonsplan:RussianFederaHonNo.COP/2004/RF).Geneva:UNRefugeeAgency.Moscow ProtestantChaplaincy. (2009). Racially‐moHvatedaaacksandharassment in Moscow No. 1Q09 StaHsHcs‐1Q10 StaHsHcs. Moscow:MoscowProtestantChaplaincy,unpublished.Ruling ofthe ConsHtuHonalCourtoftheRussianFederaHon,1(2002).Availableonlinehere.Shashkin, Alexander. (2008). Origins and development of racistskinheads in Moscow. From Street Gangs, MigraHon and Ethnicity,94‐111.Silvestri, A.,&Tchernishova,O.(1998).The legalframeworkregulaHngasylumintheRussianFederaHon.InternaHonalJournalofRefugeeLaw,10(1),184‐198.RussianFederaHonFederalLaw:OnAmendmentsandAddiHonstotheLawoftheRussianFederaHon'onRefugees',284(3July1997).UNHCR (2010) Country OperaHons Profile ‐ Russian FederaHon,Moscow:UNRefugeeAgency.

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 9

In acase that has been in liHgaHon for several yearsenHtledJohn Doe et al. v. Canada (Case 12.586), the Inter‐AmericanCommissionconsideredapeHHonfiledin2003byaconsorHumof organisaHons. The Commission ruled that Canada violatedthe American DeclaraHon on Human Rights by summarilyreturning refugee claimants to the US, and failing to giveindividualiseddeterminaHontorefugeeclaimants.

The cases of three of these claimantswere presented to theCommission:CanadasentthembacktotheUSbutdidnotseekassurancesthattheywouldbeallowedtoreturntoCanadaforconsideraHonoftheirrefugeeclaims.Neitherdiditprovideanyindividualised consideraHon of the likelihood of their beingreturnedfromtheUStodangerouscondiHonsintheircountriesoforigin.Theclaimantsweretakeninto custodyintheUS,heldin anordinaryjail facilityand then deported to their countriesof origin. One of the claimants later managed to return toCanadadirectlyfromhishomecountryAlbania,akerwhichheobtainedrefugeestatus.

The Commission found that Canada had violated its humanrights obligaHons because it returned three refugeeclaimants

to the US through Canada’s ‘direct back’ policy, without firstproviding individualised review of their asylum claims. Therevised ‘direct back’ policy adoptedin 2003led tohundredsofasylumseekersinCanadabeingsummarilysentbacktotheUS.Many of them were jailed in the US, where discriminatoryregistraHonprogrammeshadtargetedmanyofthecountriesoforigin of the claimants. The Commission also clarifiedgovernments’obligaHonswith regard to refugees.With regardto applicantswhoarrivefrom athird country,theCommissionclarified that ‘before removing a refugee claimant to a thirdcountry, [acountry]mustconductanindividualisedassessmentof a refugee claimant’scase, takingintoaccountall the knownfactsoftheclaiminlightofthethirdcountry’srefugeelaws.’

Therulingissignificantforseveralreasons;inaddiHontobeingacriHcal recogniHon oftheprincipleofnon‐refoulement underArHcle 33 of the Refugee ConvenHon, it also has significantimplicaHons for the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA)betweenCanadaand theUnited States.Under theagreement,rejected refugeeclaimantsarealso returnedto theUSwithouttheindividualisedassessmentsrequiredbythisdecision.•

R E Q U E S T S

Requestforhelploca*ngfamilyresealedinNorwayBarbara Harrell‐Bond, Director of Fahamu RefugeeProgramme,is seekinginformaHononhowto locatea familythat hasbeen resealed toNorwayaker brieflybeinginexilein Sudan.Arefugee,formerlyajudgeinhiscountryoforigin,hasdiscoveredthathisdivorcedwifeandchildrenhavebeenresealed toNorwaywithouthisknowledge.Heis seeking toexercisehisvisiHngrightsprovided inthedivorceagreement,includingtherightofcustodywhenthechildrenbecameeightyears old.The refugeeis in possessionofa passport.PleaseemailwithsuggesHons.

Seekingadviceonaffirma*veapplica*onforUSasylumcaseFRLAN has received the following request from Derek N.White,Esq.inColorado,USA,whocanbecontactedviaemail:‘Ihavebeen pracHcinglaw for oneyear,allsolo.IhavesomeimmigraHon experience, but I am now aaempHng my firstasylum case, an affirmaHve applicaHon. Anyone out therewillingtochatwithmeaboutaffirmaHveapplicaHonsandthemorepracHcal sideofasylumcases.Wouldgreatlyappreciatesomeveteranadvice.’

Request forAsianexamplesofalterna*vestodeten*onandreleaseprovisions–MalaysiaespeciallyThe InternaHonal DetenHon CoaliHon (IDC) is researchingalternaHves to detenHon and release provisions currently inuse in the Asian region, primarily with regardsrefugees andasylum seekers. If you have examples from the region, ordetailsor knowledge of thesemechanisms,pleaseemail IDCdirector Grant Mitchell. In parHcularly, any informaHon on

Malaysiaisappreciated.Since late2009,ithasbeenreportedthat individualswhohaveUNHCRregistraHondocumentaHonare generally released or not detained. If detained andidenHfiedbyUNHCRtheyaresubsequentlyreleasedwithnoindividualundertakingsorotherguaranteesrequired.Thereisliale public informaHon to confirm this so the IDC seeksaddiHonalinformaHonorresources.

RequestforresealementacceptancenumbersThe Refugee Commiaee from the First BapHst Church inKingston,Ontario,Canada,asks, ‘Does anyoneknow how toobtain the list that showsthemaximum numberofrefugeesthat our governmentwillallowtobeacceptedthisyear fromeach country?’ Last year the group ‘began to suspect verystrongly that theremust be some unpublished governmentdirecHve that was limiHng the sponsorship of sub‐SaharanAfricans,since veryobvious refugeeswho werefacingdeathwere being refused on very flimsy grounds.’ Newsleaerreaders with insights on this situaHon are asked to emailRefugeeCommiaeememberJamesKennedy.

Request for contacts or informa*on on displacement fromagriculturallandinSudan,Uganda,DRCFor its annual report, which will focus on global foodinsecurity,ChrisHanAidseeksanyinformaHonaboutrefugeeswho have been displaced by the LRA/miliHa groups insouthern Sudan, Uganda and DRC, and who have lek largetracts of agricultural land unoccupied for fear of furtheraaacks. StaHsHcs about how much land has been lekunoccupiedandforhowlongand,ideallystories/quotesfromlocal people on the ground would be parHcularly helpful.PleaseemailAfricaEditorEmmaPomfret.

CommissionfindsCanadaviolatedADHRbyreturningrefugeeclaimantstotheUS

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 10

N E W S

EritreanrefugeesunderthreatRefugeelegalaidprovidersneedtobeawareofUNHCR’snew Eligibility Guidelines forAssessing theInternaHonalProtecHonNeedsof Asylum‐Seekers from Eritreaand anew COI report on Eritrea from the United Kingdom.Eritrea,which ranksworsethanNorthKoreain freedomof expression according to Reporters without Borders,maintainedapresence inexileofnearly225,000peopleofconcerntoUNHCRasof January2010.Morerecently,Eritrean refugeeshave found themselves in increasinglydifficult andabusiveposiHonsinexile,asmany recentlylek North Africa for a Romanian emergency recepHoncentreandEgyptconHnuestorefusetoprotectEritreanstaken hostage and tortured on the Sinai Peninsula.Meanwhile,RefugeelegalaidproviderARDCreportsthatEritrean refugees in Israel have begun protesHng forbeaertreatmentthere.

ICRIRmakesofficialcomplaintofCyprustranslatorThe InternaHonal CoaliHon for the Rights of IranianRefugeeshasissued anofficial complaint to theUNHCRregarding anIranian translatoratthemigraHon office inCyprus.ThereisreasontobelievethatthetranslatorhaspassedonconfidenHalinformaHonof theIranianasylumseekerstotheIranianConsulate,aswellasallegaHonshehas negaHvely influenced the outcome of the refugeestatusdeterminaHon.

ICRIChasreportedthatseveralIranianrefugeesdetainedin Cyprus have gone on hunger strike to protest theirdetenHon condiHons, and inonecase, inprotestof theCypriot authoriHes’ decision to illegally place thedetainee’s young child in the custody of a local family.Some detainees are suffering from severe healthcondiHons,someadirectresultofdetenHon:severalhavecontracted HepaHHs C as a result of detenHon at thepolicestaHon,onemanswallowed18razorblades,whileanothermanhassuffered aheart aaack. A wheelchair‐bound 81‐year‐old Iranian woman whose asylum claimwasrejectedwasalsoplacedindetenHon.

The rejecHon of an asylum claim in Cyprus leads to adenial of virtually all basic human rights, includingmedical care and treatment in anemergency.Accordingto ICRIR, for Iranian refugee Mrs. Rahimi, who suffersfromdiabetesandkidneyfailure,thismeansshemaybedenied lifesaving treatment. Sheandher husbandwereboth denied refugee status. They are consequentlydeniedthelegalrighttoworkandtheyhavenomeansofgeneraHngincome.ItispracHcallyimpossibleforthemtomeetthecostsofMrs.Rahimi’shospitalandmedicalcareandtreatment.ICRICis aaempHngtosecurealawyer inCypruswhowill re‐openMr.Rahimi’sasylumcasesohecould access the basic medical benefits which areessenHalforthetreatmentofhiswife’scondiHon.

Namibia set to strip Angolans, Rwandans andBurundiansofrefugeestatusAfricanlegalaidprovidersandlegalaidprovidersdealingwith African refugees should be aware that Namibia ispoised to strip over 6,000 Angolan refugees of theirprotecHon when the UNHCR implements the cessaHonclause in the country later this year. The NamibianMinisterforHomeAffairs andImmigraHondemonstrateda surprising lack of consideraHon for refugees’fundamental protecHon concerns, suggesHng that theyrefuse to return home because ‘some have boughtproperty like cars and could not return with thembecausetheyareright‐handdriven’amongotherreasons.AngolansconHnuetobeconcernedabouttheirsafety ifreturned,withonly50voluntarilyrepatriaHng inthefirsttenmonthsof lastyear.WhileSRLANlistsonlyonelegalaid provider in Namibia strictly dealing with refugees,othersshouldbeawareofthedevelopmentstheresoastobeaerserverefugeeswhomay beforcedoutof thatcountry. This news comes as UNHCR and thegovernmentsof BotswanaandNamibiameet to discussthe ‘voluntary return’ of Namibian refugeescurrently inBotswana.

SystemicfailuresinRSD,riots,andnewlawsplannedfor‘unrulyasylumseekers’inAustraliaAn esHmated 100 asylum seekers rioted in a detenHoncentre in Sydney. Riot police were called in and ninebuildingswereset on fire.Most of thedetaineesweremainly from Afghanistan and IraqiKurdistan, andmanyhad previously beendetainedoffshore in theChristmasIslands. The riot comes as overcrowding in detenHoncentreshas reached a criHcalpoint, leading to anotherriotintheChristmasIslandsdetenHoncentrelastmonth,and as the number of suicides and self‐harm aaemptshavesurgedatdetenHoncentres acrossthecountry.TheasylumseekersthatriotedinSydneyarebelievedtohavewaitedoverayearindetenHonfortheirasylumclaimstobeprocessed,accordingtotheBBC.

Refugeesareharmedandtheirrightsareviolatedinthelengthy and flawed RSD process in Australia. RefugeelawyerDavidManne,fromtheRefugeeandImmigraHonLegal Centre, has spoken out against the condiHonsofrefugees,whoareplacedindetenHonforlongperiodsofHmedueto flaws in the asylum determinaHon system.Systemic failuresinAustralia’sRSDsystemareillustratedby a 55% reversalof decisions on appeal (seefigures).Despite this, a spokesperson for the Minister ofImmigraHonclaimedthatrefugeeapplicaHonsweremade‘independentlyandonacase‐by‐casebasis’.

Duetothewaveofriotsinrecentmonths,theAustraliangovernment has announced planned new laws to dealwith ‘unruly asylumseekers’.Under theplan,whichhasbeen strongly criHcised by refugee rights acHvists, such‘unruly’detaineeswho are later recognisedasrefugees

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 11

P U B L I C A T I O N S

GoodexamplesforlegalaidfundraisingFundraising for legalaidokenrequires clientstories,organisaHon accomplishments, and examples ofsuccessful work – but too oken we are unable toproduce them. Barbara Harrell‐Bond, head of theFahamuRefugeeProgramme,recommendsalook atgreatexamples of thekindsof tesHmonials funderslook forinthenewsleaerof theFlorenceImmigrantand Refugee Rights Project, a United States‐basedlegal aid organisaHon. If your organisaHon hassuchanecdotes or reports that you wish to publicise,pleasesubmitthemtotheFRLANeditors.

IraqiRefugeeAssistanceProjectIRAP has published its first Report to Supporters,which describes programming accomplishments,emphasisestheneedforconHnuedfocusontheIraqirefugee crisis, and introduces the board as well assomeofIRAP’sclients.PriortoSeptember2010,IRAPexisted as an all‐volunteer iniHaHve. Its totaloverheadbudgetwas$0,IRAPhadnooffice,andnofull‐Hmestaff.Sincethen,withthehelpofsupporters,IRAP has become an internaHonal organisaHon andhelped resealemorethan450Iraqirefugees in life‐threateningcircumstancestosafethirdcountries.

Online course on gender‐based violence inemergenciesTheUnited NaHonsPopulaHon Fundhasreleasedafree, self‐paced course designed to develop fieldcapacity for the management of gender‐basedviolence programming. This short video introducesthe course, which synthesises global best pracHces,andintegratesvideos,learning acHviHesandquizzes.Thefullcoursecanbeaccessedhere.

ReportonUKimmigra*onbailhearingsA‘viewfromthepublicgallery’reportonimmigraHonbail hearings in the UK was prepared by the BailObservaHonProject,setupbytheCampaigntoCloseCampsfield with Bail for ImmigraHon Detaineessupport. Aker observing 115 immigraHon bailhearings, the report, 'ImmigraHon Bail Hearings: ATravesty of JusHce?', found that the unfairness andlack of due process of which there had previouslyonlybeenanecdotalevidencewaspartofasystemicfailureinUKimmigraHoncourts.

UpdatedUKCOImaterialsUK‐basedlegalaidprovidersareadvisedthattheUKBorder Agency has moved all Country of OriginInformaHon (COI) published in2011andonwards tothe this website, which also links to archived,

pre‐2011informaHon.SeealsotheSouthernRefugeeLegalAidNetwork’spageonCOI.

MoroccoandEgyptdeten*onprofilesThe Global DetenHon Project has added two newcountry profiles to its website, outlining Egypt andMorocco’s detenHon policies, infrastructures, andsites,includingmaps,linksandreferences.

UNHCR recommenda*ons on protec*on of peoplefleeingLibyaUN High Commissioner for Refugees has published‘ProtecHon consideraHons with regard to peoplefleeingfromLibya‐UNHCR’s recommendaHons(as of29hMarch,2011)’.

Asylumeligibility of trafficking and forcedmarriagesurvivorsTheWorld OrganizaHon for Human Rights USA hasreleaseda newhandbook,‘GuidetoEstablishing theAsylumEligibilityofVicHmsofHumanTraffickingandForced Marriage’ which may be useful for readersengagedincasework,althoughitistailoredtotheUSasylumsystem.WethankEmilyArnold‐FernandezofAsylumAccessforbringingtheguidetoouraaenHon.

Immigrants indeten*oninplacesof conflict,unrestandnaturaldisasterRecentinternaHonalevents,suchasconflictinLibya,unrest in Egypt and natural disaster in Japan, havehighlightedthevulnerabilityofpeopleinimmigraHondetenHon who rely on authoriHes for their basicneeds and are oken ‘forgoaen’ during Hmes ofnaHonal crisis. The InternaHonalDetenHon CoaliHonhas released an internaHonal statement, availableonline here, on the lack of access, independentmonitoring and public reports on the situaHon forthoseinimmigraHondetenHoninplacesof crisis andthe need for urgent acHon by states and UnitedNaHonsvisiHngbodies.

ModelpledgesonxenophobicviolenceReaders who advocate on incidents of xenophobicviolence against refugeesmay find useful a set ofmodel pledges on xenophobic and bias‐moHvatedviolence, prepared by Human Rights First (HRF) aspartof itsTen‐Point‐Planfor combaHng hatecrimes,for use in urging states to pledge to take concretestepsto address these seriousprotecHon problems.HRF will also assist with adjusHng specificrecommendaHons to your states, asks for updatesand feedback on the use of these pledges of anyplansyoumayhaveforacHviHesoradvocacyaroundtheevents commemoraHng theRefugeeConvenHon;pleaseemailHRF’sEleanorAcerorPaulLeGendre.

FAHAMUREFUGEELEGALAIDNEWSLETTER 12

N E W S & I N F O R M A T I O N L I N K S

fahamu refugee legal aid newsletter past issues, facebook, blog, submission guidelines

southern refugee legal aid network website & email list

forced migration current awareness blog

rsdwatch: information on unhcr’s refugee decisions

kanere: kakuma refugee free press

israel: hotline for migrant workers quarterly newsletter

refugees international regional and issue-based e-updates

e-list on preventing and reducing immigration detention

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FahamuRefugeeLegalAidNewsleaer ispublishedbyFahamuTrustandFahamuLtd.,2ndfloor,51CornmarketStreet,OxfordOX13HA,UK.Tel +44 (0)1865 727006, fax +44(0)1865727909,email info[at]fahamu.org.Fahamu Ltdwas established in theUK in1997. Fahamu Ltd was registered and incorporated as a not‐for‐profit company limited byguarantee in 2001 (no. 4241054).FahamuhasofficesinOxford,UK;Nairobi,Kenya;Dakar,Senegal;andCapeTown,SouthAfrica. FahamuLtdisregisteredinKenyaasF15/2006.Boardofdirectors:BelindaAllan, PaddyCoulterOBE,ShereenKarmali,HakimaAbbas.FahamuTrustwasregisteredasacharityintheUK(no.1100304)inJuly2003,withthefollowingobjecHves:‘theadvancementofeducaHonofthepublicworldwide by the publicaHon of electronic newsleaers, courses and disseminaHng of informaHon on human rights’. Fahamu SA isregisteredasatrustin SouthAfricaIT37201.Board oftrustees:BelindaAllan, PaddyCoulter OBE,PatriciaO.Daley, MainaKiai,OnyekachiWambu,RobWells.ExecuHvedirector:HakimaAbbas.Fahamu’swebsiteiswww.fahamu.org.

P U B L I C A T I O N S c o n t i n u e d

ResearchonColombianrefugeesinPanamaandEcuadorRefugeeCouncil USAhaspublished‘LivingontheEdge:ColumbianRefugeesinPanamaandEcuador’,basedonin‐country researchontheapproximately 500,000Colombian refugeeswhohavefledthenearly half‐decade longconflictintheircountry.

Improvingrefugeeprotec*oninMalaysiaMalaysiahasnowriaen governmentpolicy on refugees, leaving them considered “illegal migrants”, subject toarrest and detenHon, and in aprecarious socio‐economic situaHon. RefugeesInternaHonalhas released a newreport,Malaysia:InvestinSoluHonsforRefugees,thatoutlinesstrategiestoimproverefugeerightsinthecountry.The report recommendsthat theGovernmentof Malaysia setsupa systemof residenceand workpermitsforrefugees,andthattheinternaHonalcommunityshouldmobilizeaddiHonalfundsforUNHCRandnon‐governmentalagenciestoleveragethisopportunitytoimproverefugeerights.