The Egyptian House of Representatives is discussing a draft law submitted by the government to issue a refugee law, after the Defense and National Security Committee approved it in the presence of the government.
The draft law specifies the mechanisms for submitting asylum applications and the periods for deciding on them.
It stipulates that the asylum seeker or their legal representative must submit the asylum application to the Permanent Committee for Refugee Affairs, as established by law.
The competent committee shall decide on the application within six months from the date of its submission if the asylum seeker entered the country legally.
However, if he or she entered illegally, the period for deciding on the application shall be one year from the date of its submission.
Asylum applications submitted by persons with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women, unaccompanied children, or victims of human trafficking, torture, and sexual violence shall have priority in study and examination.
Under the bill, the competent committee issues its decision to grant the refugee status, or to reject the application, and in the latter case the competent committee requests the competent ministry to deport the asylum seeker outside the country.
The asylum seeker is then notified with the decision of the competent committee. The competent committee may, until the asylum application is decided on, request that the necessary measures and procedures be taken regarding the asylum seeker for reasons of protecting national security and order.
Defining ‘refugee’
The draft law came to provide a clear definition of “refugee” – defined as any foreigner who is outside the country of their nationality or usual residence, due to a reasonable reason based on a serious and justified fear of being persecuted because of race, religion, nationality, or belonging to a particular social group or because of political opinions, or because of external aggression or occupation, or other events that seriously threaten public security in the country of their nationality or the country of their usual residence, and is unable or unwilling, due to serious fear, to seek protection from that country.
The draft law said that the refugee is any person who does not have a nationality and is outside the country of their usual residence as a result of any of those circumstances, and is unable or unwilling to return to that country, and who has been given that description by the competent committee in accordance with the provisions of this law.
The draft law defined “asylum seeker” as any foreigner who has submitted an application to the competent committee to acquire the status of refugee in accordance with the provisions of this law, and the separation has not been made.
