ABSTRACT
The Refugee Convention of 1951 was limited to refugees emerging as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951. However, during the Hungarian crisis in 1956, the UNHCR adopted the view, without objection from Western States, that refugees from Hungary could be recognised under the Convention despite the time limitation since the crisis at hand had its origins in events before 1951.1 The adoption of a Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1967 enabled recognition of refugees without reference to this dateline. The geographical limitation that also appeared in the 1951 Convention could, under the Protocol, be retained by a State only if it had held that position upon its adoption of the 1951 Convention (Weis, 1967).
