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Sub-Module 2: Questions

Please note that the full content of the module is available to registered participants of COI training courses only.

Once you’ve completed these units, you will know how to:

  • identify different types or categories of questions

  • evaluate the relevance of a question

  • formulate COI questions

What kind of information do I need? Formulating legally relevant research questions is essential for getting valid results!

In this sub-module, we will turn to examine the issue of COI questions. An asylum claim gives rise to questions. COI can assist in answering these, thus it is the questions which lead us in the first place to begin the process of considering sources and undertaking research.

The questions which arise from a case also provide the practical, operational link between the decision-maker/lawyer and the dedicated COI researcher. The decision-maker formulates a question which has arisen from the case and then contacts the COI unit to request assistance in answering it. As we’ll see, well-formulated COI questions and good communication between the decision-maker and COI researcher are really important features of this interchange.

Let's have a look at the story of an asylum seeker from Nigeria:

The case of Amarachukwu

Amarachukwu is an asylum seeker from Nigeria. She is Christian and belongs to the Igbo ethnic group. She used to live in Kaduna State in Northern Nigeria, where the Igbo constitute a minority of the population. In the last years the relationship between the various ethnic and religious groups of the region has deteriorated, violent conflicts have become numerous between Christians and Muslims.

Amarachukwu claims that her husband and her brother were brutally killed and Amarachukwu herself was raped by Muslim extremists during a violent riot in their town. Amarachukwu remained alone with her 10-year-old son, Chino, as her parents had previously passed away. They feared for their lives, so they sold everything to a rich Igbo man from another town and used the money to come to Europe, where they asked for asylum.

Do you think that Amarachukwu and her son will be granted asylum?
What kind of information does a decision maker need in order to base the decision on relevant facts?
How can she or he decide whether Amarachukwu has a well-founded fear of persecution?
What kind of information does a legal adviser need to secure the best outcome for Amarachukwu?



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