Ireland - High Court, 3 November 2009, D.T. v Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform [2009] IEHC 482

What was at stake

EDAL summary. This case concerned the assessment of the option of internal relocation within Sierra Leone in the context of a threat from a family member. The Court found that, provided that regard has been had to...

What happened

The applicant, a woman from Sierra Leone, sought asylum in Ireland due to violence and threats from her brother, a gangster who threatened to kill her for having a child out of wedlock. Asylum was refused based on the possibility of internal relocation to Freetown, where it was deemed she would not face the same threat.

What the court decided

The court decided that, in assessing the option of internal relocation within a country of origin, the decision-maker is not obligated to seek out specific information on general economic and social conditions in a proposed site of relocation, provided that regard has been had to relevant country of origin information, and the risk identified is a private or domestic one, such as a threat from a family member.

How the court got there

The court reasoned that the primary consideration in assessing internal relocation is whether the specific threat exists in the proposed area. Since the threat was from a family member and not a general public threat, detailed country of origin information on economic and social conditions was not necessary. The decision-maker had considered the characteristics of Freetown, including its size and facilities, and determined that the applicant could relocate there safely.

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