31 - Refugees

Summary

Once a person falls within the international legal definition of a refugee, he or she is entitled to make a claim for asylum. The prohibition in international law of refoulement prevents a refugee from being sent back, whether directly or through a third country, to the State from which he or she escaped if he or she will suffer persecution upon or after return. Additional protection for asylum seekers and refugees caught up in a situation of armed conflict is contained in international humanitarian law.