Description

The 1963 Regulations relating to Refugees were adopted by Iran’s Council of Ministers to provide a full legal and administrative framework for identifying, admitting and protecting persons who, for political, religious, racial or social‐group reasons, face persecution and seek asylum in Iran. 

The 1963 Regulation consists of 14 Articles and enshrines the principle of non-refoulment. The definition of refugee in the 1963 Regulation[1] differs from the 1951 Convention.[2] While the 1951 Convention provides for five grounds for persecution namely race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, and political opinion, the 1963 Regulation refers only to four grounds and omits nationality as a reason to grant refugee status.

[1] According to Article 1 of the Regulation: “A refugee is a person who for political, religious or racial reasons or for membership of a particular social group fears persecution or a threat to his/her life or that of his family members supported by him/her, and seeks asylum in Iran”.

[2] According to the Article 1A(2) a refugee is someone who “owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it”.