Welcome to the October 2009 issue of The Researcher

Firstly I would like to introduce myself as the new co-editor along with Seamus Keating of The Researcher, replacing Paul Daly who stepped down in July of this year following four successful years. During this time, the publication has grown from a newsletter documenting the role and activities of the Refugee Documentation Centre to a journal providing a forum for the discussion of asylum and immigration issues in Ireland.

In this issue, Refugee Legal Service Managing Solicitors Grainne Brophy and Bernadette McGonigle examine the issue of Statelessness, as it affects the asylum process with particular reference to the Irish situation. James Healy B.L. discusses the impact which mental and emotional disturbances such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have on the Asylum Process. David Goggins of the Refugee Documentation Centre investigates the Boko Haram, an Islamic Fundamentalist Group operating in northern Nigeria sometimes known as the ‘Nigerian Taliban’. Recent developments in Refugee and Immigration Law are highlighted through a selection of case summaries provided by John Stanley B.L. and to conclude, Steven O’Brien of UNHCR Dublin draws our attention to the September 2009 UNHCR Policy on Refugee Protection and Solutions in Urban Areas.

Deirdre Houlihan, RDC