Draft Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Text of Articles Adopted by the Conference on 11 July 1951

A/CONF.2/L.1/Add.4

Article 27 Expulsion of refugees lawfully admitted

1. The Contracting States shall not expel a refugee lawfully in their territory save on grounds of national security or public order.

2.¹ Except where this is precluded for imperative reasons of national security, the refugee shall be allowed to submit evidence to clear himself, to lodge an appeal and be represented for the purpose before a competent authority or a person or persons specially designated by the competent authority.

3. The Contracting States shall allow such refugees a reasonable period within which to seek legal admission into another country. The Contracting States reserve the right to apply during that period such internal measures as they may deem necessary.

Article 28 Prohibition of expulsion to territories where the life or freedom of a refugee is threatened

1. No Contracting State shall expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality or political opinion.

2. The benefit of the present provision may not, however, be claimed by a refugee whom there are reasonable grounds for regarding as a danger to the security of the country in which he finds himself, or whom having been definitely convicted of particularly serious crimes, constitutes a danger to the community thereof.

Article 29 Naturalization

The Contracting States shall as far as possible facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees. They shall in particular make every effort to expedite naturalization proceedings and to reduce as far as possible the charges and costs of such proceedings.

1 The Conference adopted this paragraph on the basis of the French text. The above wording is a translation made by the Secretariat.