The right to asylum

Everyone who has a well-founded fear of persecution has the right to asylum in a country where they will be safe. According to the international human rights mechanisms, this right can be violated in a variety of ways, including by:

• not providing the facilities necessary to enable people to claim asylum (including interpeters and properly-trained immigration staff);

• failing to give adequate consideration to a request for asylum;

• expelling a person to a country in which he/she would be at risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

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International human rights mechanisms which protect the right to asylum

The right to asylum is protected by the following international human rights mechanisms (click on the links to find out more about how to use these mechanisms):

United Nations Human Rights Committee

United Nations Committee Against Torture

Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders

1503 Procedure

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

African Commission on Human and People's Rights

European Court of Human Rights

European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment