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Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme (RMRP)

Established in 1996 LHR's Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme is a specialist programme that advocates, strengthens and enforces the rights of asylum-seekers, refugees and other marginalised categories of migrants in South Africa.

» find out more about this programme »

Cases and Judgements

Limpopo Traders

(Case)

Department of Home Affairs ordered to keep Port Elizabeth refugee reception office open

(Case)

High court declares refugee appeal board rules invalid and exclude media from hearings

(Case)

Court orders CT refugee reception office to accept new asylum applicants

(Case)

New rules for judicial review declared unconstitutional

(Case)

News

[PRESS RELEASE] LHR to appear at the Constitutional Court to challenge the interpretation of the Refugee Act

29 October 2018

(Press release)

[PRESS RELEASE] PRETORIA HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT CONDEMNS FLAWED REFUGEE ADJUDICATION PROCESS

16 July 2018

(Press release)

DAWID KRUIPER MUNICIPALITY UNLAWFULLY EVICTING VICTIMS OF XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS

26 June 2018

(Press release)

Publications

Queue Here for Corruption: Measuring Irregularities in South Africa’s Asylum System

The report “Queue Here for Corruption: Measuring Irregularities in South Africa’s Asylum System” comes as SA grapples with xenophobic violence, incoherent changes to the country’s immigration policies and dubious attempts by various spheres of government to address these issues.

The urgent high court application to interdict the government from continuing with Operation Fiela-Reclaim raids unless legislative provisions are adhered to has been removed from the urgent roll in the high court in Pretoria.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) brought the challenge in light of grave concerns around the legality of Operation Fiela-Reclaim - a joint operation conducted by the police, army and department of home affairs. Specifically, LHR views the decision to implement raids in the early hours of the morning, in “cordoned off” areas with the army and Department of Home Affairs (and without the warrants required by legislation) as blatantly unlawful. The raids also appear to target non-nationals despite claims to the contrary.

Attached are the court documents for the case from all parties:

LHR urgent interdict against deportation

2013 annual report

The 2013 annual report highlights some of LHR's most noteworthy cases and interventions.

Policies

Submissions from Lawyers for Human Rights on the Publication of the Draft First Amendment of the Refugees Regulations (Forms and Procedure), 2000.

(Date published: 04/12/2014)

LHR Submission on the Draft Immigration Regulations, 2014

(Date published: 27/02/2014)

Refworld documents

(Date published: 20/01/2014)

Human Trafficking, Superior Courts Bills get NCOP approval

(Date published: 15/05/2013)

LHR Submission on the Prevention and Combatting of Torture Persons Bill [B21- 2012]

(Date published: 01/09/2012)

The spate of looting of foreign national's shops in Isipingo: Nomagugu Mlawe The spate of looting of foreign national's shops in Isipingo south of Durban has again thrown...	LHR's Liesl Muller discusses statelessness on KykNet Liesl Muller - head of LHR's Statelessness Project - discusses the issues around statelessness...
The role of migrants in township economy Recent incidents of looting against 'foreign-owned' shops in Soweto, Kagiso and other...	Lootings in Soweto has thrown open the issue of xenophobia The spate of looting of foreign nationals' shops in parts of Soweto has thrown open the issue...