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Full-Text Articles in Law
Justice In Syria: Individual Criminal Liability For Highest Officials In The Assad Regime, Seema Kassab
Justice In Syria: Individual Criminal Liability For Highest Officials In The Assad Regime, Seema Kassab
Michigan Journal of International Law
Seven years have passed since revolution broke out in Syria in March of 2011. During those six years, hundreds of thousands of Syrians lost their lives, millions of Syrians were internally displaced or left the country seeking refuge, and a beautiful and diverse country was hijacked and terrorized by civil war. Every day in Syria, people are detained, tortured, raped, and killed. Attacks on homes, hospitals, markets, and schools are common occurrences. At this stage of the conflict, there is little doubt that it is the most horrific and dire humanitarian crisis since World War II. The conflict began as …
The Michigan Guidelines On Refugee Freedom Of Movement
The Michigan Guidelines On Refugee Freedom Of Movement
Michigan Journal of International Law
Despite the clear legal foundation of refugee freedom of movement at international law, states are also committed to the deterrence of human smuggling and trafficking, to the maintenance of effective general border controls, to safeguarding the critical interests of receiving communities, and to effectuating safe and dignified repatriation when refugee status comes to an end. Legal obligations to respect refugee freedom of movement therefore co-exist with, and must be reconciled to, other important commitments.
Special Feature: Eighth Colloquium On Challenges In International Refugee Law, James C. Hathaway
Special Feature: Eighth Colloquium On Challenges In International Refugee Law, James C. Hathaway
Michigan Journal of International Law
It is our hope that, as in the case of earlier Michigan Guidelines on the International Protection of Refugees, these unanimously agreed standards will inspire a thoughtful and principled debate among scholars, officials, and judicial and other refugee law decision-makers committed to the legally accurate and contextually sound application of international refugee law norms.
Refugees And The Right To Freedom Of Movement: From Flight To Return, Marjoleine Zieck
Refugees And The Right To Freedom Of Movement: From Flight To Return, Marjoleine Zieck
Michigan Journal of International Law
This background study focuses on the right to freedom of movement of refugees. It reviews the law pertaining to this freedom from the perspective of the spatial journey of refugees. This focus on the law means that extralegal considerations will not be taken into consideration. The analysis will not proceed from any perceived need for limits that should be accepted as “a product of realism about the strains that migration, especially high-volume migration or sudden influxes, can bring to a society.”
The Michigan Guidelines On The Exclusion Of International Criminals
The Michigan Guidelines On The Exclusion Of International Criminals
Michigan Journal of International Law
With a view to promoting a shared understanding of the proper approach to Article 1(F)(a) exclusion from refugee status, we have engaged in sustained collaborative study and reflection on relevant norms and state practice. Our research was debated and refined at the Sixth Colloquium on Challenges in International Refugee Law, convened in March 2013 by the University of Michigan’s Program in Refugee and Asylum Law. These Guidelines are the product of that endeavor, and reflect the consensus of Colloquium participants on how decision makers can best ensure the application of Article 1(F)(a) in a manner that conforms to international legal …
Sixth Colloquium On Challenges In International Refugee Law: Introduction, James C. Hathaway
Sixth Colloquium On Challenges In International Refugee Law: Introduction, James C. Hathaway
Michigan Journal of International Law
The goal of the Sixth Colloquium on Challenges in International Refugee Law was to develop a principled and workable framework to guide the process of considering the exclusion from refugee status of persons believed to have committed international crimes.
Principled Exclusion: A Revised Approach To Article1(F)(A) Of The Refugee Convention, Jennifer Bond
Principled Exclusion: A Revised Approach To Article1(F)(A) Of The Refugee Convention, Jennifer Bond
Michigan Journal of International Law
The focus of this contribution is Article 1(F)(a), a section of the exclusion clause that has increased in both use and profile in recent years. Article 1(F)(a) applies to individuals who may be implicated in crimes against peace (more commonly known today as crimes of aggression), war crimes, or crimes against humanity as such crimes are defined in relevant international instruments. Where a decision maker finds that “there are serious reasons for considering that” an asylum seeker has committed one of these acts, the remainder of the Refugee Convention does not apply, and any protections to which the claimant would …
Fifth Colloquium On Challenges In International Refugee Law. The Michigan Guidelines On The Right To Work., Penelope Mathew
Fifth Colloquium On Challenges In International Refugee Law. The Michigan Guidelines On The Right To Work., Penelope Mathew
Michigan Journal of International Law
An Explanatory Note covering the Fifth Michigan Colloquium on Challenges in International Refugee Law and the Right to Work.
The Michigan Guidelines On The Right To Work
The Michigan Guidelines On The Right To Work
Michigan Journal of International Law
The right to work is fundamental to human dignity. It is central to survival and development of the human personality. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), decent work "sums up the aspirations of people in their working lives-for opportunity and income; rights, voice and recognition ..." Work is interrelated, interdependent with, and indivisible from the rights to life, equality, the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, an adequate standard of living, the right to social security and/or social assistance, freedom of movement, freedom of association, and the rights to privacy and family life, among others.
Revisiting Germany's Residenzpflicht In Light Of Modern E.U. Asylum Law, Paul Mcdonough
Revisiting Germany's Residenzpflicht In Light Of Modern E.U. Asylum Law, Paul Mcdonough
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Note explores whether the E.C. treaties, nonetheless, provide the European Court of Justice (ECJ) sufficient competence to use the Reception Directive as a vehicle to assess the Residenzpflicht in relation to the Refugee Convention. It concludes that, through the Residenzpflicht, Germany denies refugees lawfully present their Convention right to free movement within its territory, and that the ECJ can order the restoration of this right.
Human Security And The Rights Of Refugees: Transcending Territorial And Disciplinary Borders, Alice Edwards
Human Security And The Rights Of Refugees: Transcending Territorial And Disciplinary Borders, Alice Edwards
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Essay examines the concept of human security through the lens of refugee protection. In particular, the author asks whether the concept of human security could add anything to the international protection regime for refugees and asylum seekers under international law. Before international lawyers can reject the notion of human security on the basis of its non-legal, and therefore nonbinding, character, it is necessary to examine the gaps in the existing legal framework, into which policy discourse, including security discourse, may step in as an important player.
Protection Elsewhere: The Legal Implications Of Requiring Refugees To Seek Protection In Another State, Michelle Foster
Protection Elsewhere: The Legal Implications Of Requiring Refugees To Seek Protection In Another State, Michelle Foster
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Article first questions the legitimacy of protection elsewhere practices. It then considers the circumstances in which the transfer of refugees might take place. It should be emphasized that the Michigan Guidelines set out the minimum requirements and constraints imposed by international law when a state wishes to implement a protection elsewhere policy. In addition, in some instances the Michigan Guidelines engage in "progressive development" of the law by suggesting safeguards that, while not strictly required by international law, should be respected in order to ensure the implementation of such policies in a way that protects and ensures the rights …
Refugee Protection In International Law: Unhcr's Global Consultations On International Protection, Taylor H. Garrett
Refugee Protection In International Law: Unhcr's Global Consultations On International Protection, Taylor H. Garrett
Michigan Journal of International Law
Review of Refugee Protection in International Law: UNHCR's Global Consultations on International Protection (Erika Feller, Volker Türk & Frances Nicholson eds.)
The Michigan Guidelines On The Internal Protection Alternative
The Michigan Guidelines On The Internal Protection Alternative
Michigan Journal of International Law
In many jurisdictions around the world, 'internal flight' or 'internal relocation' rules are increasingly relied upon to deny refugee status to persons at risk of persecution for a Convention reason in part, but not all, of their country of origin. In this, as in so many areas of refugee law and policy, the viability of a universal commitment to protection is challenged by divergence in state practice. These Guidelines seek to define the ways in which international refugee law should inform what the authors believe is more accurately described as the 'internal protection alternative.' It is the product of collective …
The Right To Return Under International Law Following Mass Dislocation: The Bosnia Precedent?, Eric Rosand
The Right To Return Under International Law Following Mass Dislocation: The Bosnia Precedent?, Eric Rosand
Michigan Journal of International Law
On the night of May 2, 1997, some twenty-five abandoned Serb houses were set on fire in the Croat-controlled municipality of Drvar, part of the Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was clear from all the circumstances that Croats organized the arson of houses in Drvar to obstruct the return of the original Serb residents to the area. Croat authorities then made a concerted effort to resettle displaced Croats in Drvar in order to solidify a stretch of "ethnically-pure" territory adjacent to the Republic of Croatia. These displaced Bosnian Serbs are just a few of the estimated 2.3 million …
The State And The Post-Cold War Refugee Regime: New Models, New Questions, Julie Mertus
The State And The Post-Cold War Refugee Regime: New Models, New Questions, Julie Mertus
Michigan Journal of International Law
The thesis of this essay is that within the refugee regime the move away from states and adherence to states are two sides of the same coin. To some degree the new refugee regime reflects the trend away from both the state and strict notions of sovereignty. Nonetheless, the new regime also exposes the staying power of the statist paradigm. In many respects, the role of states has indeed been altered, but states have retained their role as important and often essential actors. While other observers have commented on specific geographic or thematic changes in the refugee regime, this essay …
Throwing Away The Key: Limits On The Plenary Power?, Richard A. Boswell
Throwing Away The Key: Limits On The Plenary Power?, Richard A. Boswell
Michigan Journal of International Law
Review of From Welcomed Exiles to Illegal Immigrants: Cuban Migration to the U.S., 1959-1995 by Felix Masud-Piloto and The Abandoned Ones: The Imprisonment and Uprising of the Marial Boat People by Mark S. Hamm.
Irreconcilable Differences? Divorcing Regugee Protections From Human Rights Norms, Karen Musalo
Irreconcilable Differences? Divorcing Regugee Protections From Human Rights Norms, Karen Musalo
Michigan Journal of International Law
This article will discuss in greater detail the profound defects of the Court's Zacarias decision. Section I will discuss the interpretation of key provisions of the 1980 Refugee Act, and describe the case of Jairo Elias Zacarias. Section II will review the plain language and legislative intent of the Act, including the congressional purpose of conforming to the 1967 Protocol. Section III will consider issues of burden of proof, and will examine the substantive impact which Zacarias has had on refugee cases. Section IV will focus on religious persecution as a paradigm of the inadequacy of an intent-based requirement and …
The Haitian Refugee Crisis: A Quest For Human Rights, Thomas David Jones
The Haitian Refugee Crisis: A Quest For Human Rights, Thomas David Jones
Michigan Journal of International Law
On June 14, 1993, the Vienna Conference on Human Rights, sponsored by the United Nations, commenced its opening session mired in controversy over the validity of a universal human rights doctrine. Many Third World or developing nations contended that Western norms of justice and fairness were not applicable to their societies. Thus, the developing nations articulated a culture-bound or relativistic concept of fundamental human rights. The developing nations' particularistic position was championed by such nations as China, Iran, Cuba, and Vietnam, signatories to the Bangkok Declaration of 1993. The Bangkok Declaration provides, inter alia, that though human rights are …
State-Centered Refugee Law: From Resettlement To Containment, T. Alexander Aleinikoff
State-Centered Refugee Law: From Resettlement To Containment, T. Alexander Aleinikoff
Michigan Journal of International Law
This paper will explore the international regime of refugee law, seeking to show how legal "solutions" to the "refugee problem" are profoundly state-centered. I will argue that discussions of "solutions" in refugee law and policy have taken a dramatic turn in recent years, replacing an exilic bias with a source-control bias. This new orientation focuses attention on countries of origin, supporting repatriation and human rights monitoring before and after return. I suggest that the shift in emphasis, albeit grounded in part in humanitarian concerns, presents real risks when realized within a system committed to the protection of human rights …
The Refugee Act Of 1980: Its Past And Future, David A. Martin
The Refugee Act Of 1980: Its Past And Future, David A. Martin
Michigan Journal of International Law
Offered here is a description of the key provisions of the Refugee Act, suggesting why they took the shape they did and outlining the major difficulties that remain in crafting and sustaining effective refugee and asylum policies.
The Individual Right To Asylum Under Article 3 Of The European Convention On Human Rights, David Scott Nance
The Individual Right To Asylum Under Article 3 Of The European Convention On Human Rights, David Scott Nance
Michigan Journal of International Law
International law does not recognize an individual right to be granted asylum. The emergence of a variant of such a right under the European Convention on Human Rights, albeit under limited conditions, therefore marks a major departure from customary law, a departure particularly noteworthy given that the parties to the Convention represent some of the most advanced legal systems in the world. The recognition of a right to asylum not only establishes a valuable precedent, but also has a direct impact on the status of refugees in Europe. Although no right of entry is provided, aliens already in countries of …
Entry And Exclusion Of Refugees: The Obligations Of States And The Protection Function Of The Office Of The United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, Guy S. Goodwin-Gill
Entry And Exclusion Of Refugees: The Obligations Of States And The Protection Function Of The Office Of The United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, Guy S. Goodwin-Gill
Michigan Journal of International Law
Refugee problems today tend to have one factor in common-the huge numbers of people involved. But whether it is a case of one or of a mass of individuals, each arriving asylum seeker represents a challenge to established principles of state sovereignty. International jurists once wrote of the free movement of persons between nations, unhampered by passport and visa control. Since the late nineteenth century, however, the principle most widely accepted has been that each state retains exclusive control- an absolute discretion- over the admission to its territory of foreign nationals, refugees or not. Although in practice many countries concede …
Appendix I, Michigan Journal Of International Law
Appendix I, Michigan Journal Of International Law
Michigan Journal of International Law
In this section: • Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees • Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees • Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees • OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa • A List of Other International Instruments Concerning Refugees
Between Sovereigns: A Reexamination Of The Refugee's Status, Stephen B. Young
Between Sovereigns: A Reexamination Of The Refugee's Status, Stephen B. Young
Michigan Journal of International Law
A refugee leaves the country of his or her national origin because the political community will not or can no longer vouchsafe the refugee's life, liberty, or peace of mind. In many cases, the sovereign of national origin actively and coercively deprives the refugee of those basic components of human dignity. By taking flight, refugees enter a precarious realm between sovereigns. They may no longer rely upon the solicitude of their native sovereign, yet international law gives them no effective replacement for that power. They gain neither a right to asylum in other countries nor one to the assumption of …
Appendix Iii, Michigan Journal Of International Law
Appendix Iii, Michigan Journal Of International Law
Michigan Journal of International Law
In this section: • Review of Foreign Laws
The Development Of Refugee Law, Paul Weis
The Development Of Refugee Law, Paul Weis
Michigan Journal of International Law
In customary international law, nationality provides the principal link between the individual and the law of nations. Refugees are commonly understood to be persons who have been compelled to leave their homes on account of natural catastrophes or because of political events; they may be inside or outside their country of origin. Refugees may be stateless or not; most present-day refugees are not stateless. Only international political refugees-persons who are outside their country of origin for political reasons-are discussed in this article, an overview of sources of refugee law, and a preface to the articles in this volume which take …
Deportation And The Refugee, Elwin Griffith
Deportation And The Refugee, Elwin Griffith
Michigan Journal of International Law
Long ago when it was unnecessary to restrict the number of aliens entering the United States, there was little distinction between refugees and other immigrants. Both groups shared similar motivations and problems. Some immigrated solely for economic reasons, while others sought new horizons because of political or religious persecution at home. In the main, though, the desire to immigrate was nurtured by the yearning for a better life.
Significant Refugee Crises Since World War Ii And The Response Of The International Community, James L. Carlin
Significant Refugee Crises Since World War Ii And The Response Of The International Community, James L. Carlin
Michigan Journal of International Law
This article analyzes some of the significant post-World War II refugee crises and describes in summary how the international community responded to each. Overpopulation, legal and illegal migration, and repatriation of thousands of colonials have had a negative influence on public opinion with respect to rescuing and assisting refugees. Yet today the refugee problem and the attendant human suffering is growing. There are serious apprehensions about the mounting costs and the ability of those concerned to cope. The international machinery is stretched; inflation and unemployment in the industrialized world have further complicated the search for solutions. Present and future refugee …
Exiting From The Soviet Union: Emigrés Or Refugees?, Zvi Gitelman
Exiting From The Soviet Union: Emigrés Or Refugees?, Zvi Gitelman
Michigan Journal of International Law
One of the most dramatic developments in the Soviet Union during the past decade has been the mass emigration of citizens, mostly of Jewish, German, and Armenian nationality. Emigration from the USSR had not been permitted, except for a tiny handful, since the early 1920s, although in the aftermath of World War II several hundred thousand Soviet citizens managed to remain in the West. These were either prisoners of war, slave laborers, Nazi collaborators, or simply people who took advantage of wartime chaos to flee the Soviet Union. But between 1971 and the end of 1980, over 300,000 Soviet citizens …