International Refugee Law and International Asylum Law
I'm always working on something. And most of the time, it's geared towards getting the best results for my clients or prospective clients. Sometimes, it starts with a personal project, and then broadens into a project that serves "humanitarian interests", and that lets me explore new concepts and ideas. This is just about some category of clients or people, and you can call them migrants, immigrants, nomads, wanderers or any other acceptable synonym that is out there, and that fits the description or definition within the given context.
These are people that are trying to find and fulfill their respective destinies that is barely limited to some kind of existential survival on the planet. And in order fulfill the defined and given destiny, they believe that they have to move from one place to another or relocate from one place on the surface of the earth to another. At times they have no choice, but they are forced or compelled to do so, because of some consequential environmental catastrophes, or because of the unsustainable actions of human activities; for example, civil unrest, unconventional civil wars, regional or transnational armed conflicts, and conventional international armed conflicts.
After the migrants or nomads, arrive at some self-defined final destination as a result of the aforementioned unsustainable activities, we would call them Asylum Seekers or Refugees with regard to international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and more specifically, International Refugee law and International Asylum law.
History and the Law- "The Suppliants" and the first Asylum Case.
Let´s move back retrospectively to read Aeschylus, (525/524 BC - 456 BC ) in the fifth century BC. He is considered to be one of the greatest Greek writers or poets (codename "master of tragedy"), and with respect to his work on dramatizing "The Suppliants", or the "Danaids", or the fifty daughters of "Danaus", who fled North Africa, Syria, Libya, and then to finally settle in Greece, in the Aegean Sea, on the small island of Argos. What follows after settlement in Argos, is a debate between King Pelasgus and the people of Argos as to whether or not these women should be granted asylum.
King Pelasgus of Argos, is a descendant of the "Pelasgians" or "the oldest inhabitants of ancient Greece", and the founders of the worship of "Dodonaean Zeus" as a God". The Suppliants were assumed to be the descendants of the love affair between Zeus and Lo, an Argive princess seduced by Zeus and then driven by Hera to Egypt. Hence, "The Suppliants", claimed both Egypt and Argos as their ancestral homelands.
The King had to consider the interests of the people of Argos, before making his decision regarding the granting of Asylum to the Suppliants or not. Asylum is a Greek (Latin) word which stems from "Asylos" meaning the place or town or city or country where asylum is to be granted. Argos was at the same time threatened by Egypt with regard to a possible invasion and forceful recovery of "the Suppliants", if asylum was granted by the King of Argos. Not really an easy matter in terms of decision making, and this is what the king says to the people of Argos:
"The judgment is not easy—do not make me the judge. I have declared already that, though I am ruler, I will not do this thing without the consent of my people, lest hereafter, if any evil befalls, the people should say, “You honored aliens and brought ruin upon your own land.”
The Suppliants were Refugees and were running away to avoid forceful marriages without consent. A Refugee (defined in English) is somebody taking "Refuge" somewhere, be it in a village, town, forest, river, mountain, desert, ocean or Country, because of a possible lingering and dangerous situation. In German it is "Flüchtling", in Dutch it is "Fluchteling / vluchteling"(arguably someone fleeing or running away from injustice or persecution) and in French it is "Réfugié" (compare Refugee in English).
This where we as experts are willing to draw the line and make the differences as to whether the right of the Suppliants, regarding "International Refugee law" is equal to the rights of the King and the people of Argos, because they are the makers International Asylum (Asylos) law. Arguably, Asylum law is different from Refugee Law. The given Refugee has to apply to be granted the right to Asylum "(presumably the right to stay)" and then wait for a decision from the People of the given "Asylos".
International Migration, Psychological Rehabilitation and Reconstruction, is a project funded by JTE Green Consulting LLC.
Sign - "JTE Green Consulting Services LLC" is an expert in International Human Rights Law, and International Humanitarian Law.
The Founding member of the Group is also a member of the "International Law Association (ILA)", "Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)" and "Amnesty International USA (AIUSA)".
We provide a wide range of consulting / counseling services, and also aid those concerned with asylum issues or difficulties on a humanitarian basis.
