The Rightlessness of Refugees in Libya

The thesis “The Rightlessness of Refugees in Libya” identifies and characterises the rightlessness of refugees affected by the European obstruction of asylum cooperation with a disintegrating Libya. It first analyses the affinity between Arendt’s right to have rights and the right to asylum. It then develops a typology of rightlessness as a framework for analysing the condition of refugees who are barred from accessing asylum in Europe. In a third step, the thesis applies this typology to the Libyan case. The thesis suggests that addressing the rightlessness of refugees in Libya requires an exploration of state-transcending models for the applicability of refugee law. It finally concludes on how this suggestion relates to the realisation of the right to have rights.