Refugee Law

The last two weeks have taken us from headlines to bylines and beyond. Front-page legal questions on USA-Greenland and Russia-Ukraine continue to occupy commentators. While others draw our attention to the lesser thumbed back pages: from colonial-era agreements in contemporary arbitration, and the recognition of Somaliland, to the "stateless eight" suspended in legal limbo at the International Residual…

Setting the scene: Frontex, CJEU and the ARIO...and beyond Although the Articles on the Responsibility of International Organizations (ARIO) were adopted 15 years ago by the International Law Commission (ILC), international judicial practice interpreting and unpacking the ARIO remains scarce. That the case law of regional courts can contribute to shedding light onto ARIO…

It is ironic that Ministers of Justice of the 46 Council of Europe (CoE) member states convened on International Human Rights Day to discuss how they might reduce the scope of their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Rather than a much-needed discussion about the effectiveness of the system, for the first time in…

Several weeks ago, it was reported by Reuters (here) that the United States would seek to radically reshape the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (1951 Convention) at a side event it had organised at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.  On the date on writing – 25 September 2025 – the Deputy…