Challenges to the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons – Compliance with International Law

Subsidiary protection under the Qualification Directive scheme is required in the case of any person who, if returned to their country, would face a real risk of suffering serious harm as defined in Article 15. Article 15 in turn provides that serious harm consists of (a) death penalty or execution; or (b) torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of an applicant in the country of origin; or (c) serious and individual threat to a civilian’s life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict.

• Paper by Guy Goodwin-Gill given at Asylum Law Seminar, March 2009 doc