The figure of political asylum is established by states to protect those in their home country suffer from some form of persecution by reason of their ideas, religion or ethnicity . It is therefore a right that people in this situation enjoy in order not to be extradited to their territories of origin, where their lives would be in danger .
For the granting of political asylum, the applicant must reliably demonstrate that he has been the object of said persecution, apart from complying with a wide list of conditions.
Political asylum can be granted within the territory of a state or at a diplomatic headquarters, such as an embassy, regardless of which country the embassy is located in. In the first case it is called territorial asylum, while in the second it is called diplomatic asylum.
Differences between humanitarian asylum and political asylum
When an individual requests political asylum, they must prove not only that they suffer persecution, but also that it is due to their active membership in some type of political, religious, social, racial or national organization.
In the case of humanitarian asylum, the circumstances are different, since those who seek to avail themselves of this figure do not have to have actively participated in any protest movement . Normally, humanitarian asylum is granted in those cases in which the socio-political circumstances of a territory force part of its population to emigrate to avoid death, without the government of the country being able to offer them the necessary protection.
Abandoned by their government and at serious risk by circumstances, the refugees are forced to move to other territories
Although the conditions, in this case, are not so demanding, the recipient countries, in general, are only willing to admit a certain quota.
Therefore, in order to obtain refugee status and obtain humanitarian asylum, a series of general circumstances must arise in the country of origin that, objectively, pose a risk to life for the population.
This does not happen in the cases of those who request political asylum, since it is not necessary for the country to suffer a convulsive situation for a particular individual to be threatened. In this case, it is his status as an activist in any organization with little sympathy from the government that creates a situation of risk to his life.