Pushback of Refugees Under International Law: A Conceptual Analysis

Authors : Ekin Deniz UZUN

Pages : 497-538

Doi:10.26650/annales.2022.71.0015

View : 17 | Download : 12

Publication Date : 2022-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Pushback describes measures and actions taken by state authorities to intercept refugees from seeking asylum as they enter or attempt to enter the state’s territorial boundaries. There is no precise international law definition to help grasp pushback’s scope and consequences. Scholars and refugee activists have evaluated the term pushback with links to collective expulsion, torture, and crimes against humanity. This Article charts relevant international legal regulations on the mentioned legal terms. The aim is to reveal whether a legal explanation can be brought to the term pushback through these concepts. From a legal perspective, this Article points out that pushback operations conflict with the nonrefoulement principle and the prohibition on collective expulsion. The analysis further explains that certain elements must come together for the term pushback to be considered in a structure that will fall within the scope of international criminal law in its operational dimension. Keeping in mind the aspects described earlier, this Article will evaluate legal ways to make sense of a vague concept.
Keywords : Pushback, International law, Collective expulsion, Torture, Crimes against humanity