What is required to invoke the right to seek asylum according to the UDHR?

The right to seek asylum, as articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), is fundamentally based on the concept of a genuine fear of persecution. This means that individuals must demonstrate that they have a well-founded fear of being targeted due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group if they were to return to their home country.

This principle is rooted in the idea that asylum serves as a protective measure for those who might be at risk of harm due to their identity or beliefs. Therefore, expressing a genuine fear of persecution is central to establishing eligibility for asylum. The focus is on the individual's subjective experience and credible concerns about their safety rather than on other factors like financial stability, political status, or the necessity of extensive documentation of past persecution.

While documentation may support an asylum claim, it is the genuine fear that underpins the right to seek protection in the first place. This understanding is critical for asylum officers, as they assess claims based on the credibility of the applicant’s fear and the presence of a well-founded basis for that fear.