- Al-Shabaab
- Islamist militant group controlling territory in south-central Somalia and conducting attacks in Mogadishu and Kenya. Central to Somali asylum claims and MOJ country guidance analysis. Learn more →
- Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 (Uganda)
- Ugandan legislation criminalising same-sex conduct with penalties up to life imprisonment and the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality. Has driven a significant increase in UK LGBTQI+ asylum claims. Learn more →
- But-For Analysis
- Causal analysis determining whether persecution would have occurred but for a protected characteristic. Relevant in complex asylum cases with multiple risk factors. Learn more →
- Clan Structure (Somalia)
- Somalia's clan system determines access to protection, resources, and risk of violence. Clan membership is central to MOJ country guidance and many Somali asylum claims. Learn more →
- Complementary Protection
- Protection under Article 15 of the Qualification Directive for persons not qualifying as refugees but facing serious harm - including death penalty, torture, or indiscriminate violence. Learn more →
- Country Guidance Case
- An Upper Tribunal decision designated as providing binding guidance on how claims from a particular country should be assessed. Binding on First-tier Tribunals until departed from. Learn more →
- Country of Origin Information (COI)
- Information about conditions in a claimant's country of origin, used by tribunals and the Home Office. Expert reports supplement and may challenge official COI. Learn more →
- Country Policy Information Note (CPIN)
- Home Office document summarising country conditions for asylum decision-making. Can be challenged with expert rebuttal evidence. Learn more →
- CPR Part 35
- Civil Procedure Rules governing expert evidence in UK proceedings. Requires experts to have an overriding duty to the court, provide independent objective evidence, and state material instructions. Learn more →
- Diaspora Remittances (MOJ Somalia context)
- Financial support from Somali diaspora communities, a key factor in MOJ country guidance on whether return to Mogadishu is safe. Learn more →
- FGM (Female Genital Mutilation)
- Harmful practice affecting women and girls across Africa. Grounds for asylum where ongoing risk, daughters at risk, or medical complications exist. Learn more →
- Forced Military Conscription (Eritrea)
- Eritrea's indefinite national service system with no fixed end date. Central to Eritrean asylum claims under MA country guidance. Learn more →
- HJ (Iran) Standard (LGBTQI+ asylum test)
- Supreme Court standard that asylum seekers should not be required to conceal sexuality to avoid persecution. Expert witnesses provide country conditions context; they do not determine sexuality. Learn more →
- Home Office Refusal
- Decision by the Home Office to refuse asylum or humanitarian protection, appealable to the First-tier Tribunal with expert evidence support. Learn more →
- ICSID (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes)
- World Bank institution administering investment treaty arbitration. African states face record ICSID caseloads in 2024–2025. Learn more →
- Internal Relocation Alternative
- Argument that a claimant can relocate safely within their country of origin. Expert witnesses assess viability based on the specific threat and country conditions. Learn more →
- Kanun
- Customary law tradition. In African contexts, experts may address customary law systems alongside statutory law in asylum and commercial cases. Learn more →
- Legal Aid
- Public funding for legal representation and disbursements including expert fees in asylum cases. LAA prior authority required above threshold amounts. Learn more →
- MA (draft evaders) Eritrea CG [2019]
- Leading country guidance on Eritrean asylum claims concerning illegal departure and draft evasion. Expert witnesses must address MA factors with current analysis. Learn more →
- MOJ & Ors Somalia CG [2014]
- Leading country guidance on return to Mogadishu. Establishes framework based on clan membership, remittances, and integration capacity. Learn more →
- Modern Slavery
- Slavery, servitude, forced labour, and human trafficking. African trafficking routes generate significant UK NRM and asylum cases. Learn more →
- National Referral Mechanism (NRM)
- UK framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery. Expert country conditions evidence supports NRM decisions. Learn more →
- Non-State Actor Persecution
- Persecution by entities other than the state - militias, clans, criminal groups. Requires analysis of state willingness and ability to protect. Learn more →
- OHADA (Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa)
- Uniform commercial law framework across 17 African states. Relevant in commercial litigation and investment arbitration expert evidence. Learn more →
- OSCOLA Citation Standard
- Oxford University Standard for Citation of Legal Authorities. Required for authoritative expert reports in UK tribunals and courts. Learn more →
- Persecution
- Serious harm including physical violence, detention, and cumulative discriminatory measures falling below the level of persecution. Learn more →
- Political Opinion (asylum ground)
- Refugee Convention ground covering persecution for imputed or actual political opinions. Central to Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Ugandan asylum claims. Learn more →
- Refugee Convention 1951
- International treaty defining refugee status. UK asylum law implements Convention obligations through the Immigration Rules. Learn more →
- RN Zimbabwe CG [2008]
- Leading country guidance on return to Zimbabwe for perceived MDC supporters. Expert witnesses must address whether RN reflects current conditions. Learn more →
- Single Joint Expert (SJE)
- One expert instructed jointly by both parties to provide independent evidence on agreed issues. Common in contested country conditions cases. Learn more →
- State Protection
- Whether the state is willing and able to protect the claimant from persecution. Central to asylum analysis across African cases. Learn more →
- Upper Tribunal (UKUT)
- Senior immigration tribunal hearing appeals from the First-tier Tribunal and designated country guidance cases. Learn more →
- Well-Founded Fear
- Core refugee definition requirement - a subjective fear of persecution that is objectively well-founded on the evidence. Learn more →