Section 131 — Immigration Act 2009: Recognition as protected person under Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

131 Recognition as protected person under Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1) A person must be recognised as a protected person in New Zealand under the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights if there are substantial grounds for believing that he or she would be in danger of being subjected to arbitrary deprivation of life or cruel treatment if deported from New Zealand. (2) Despite subsection (1), a person must not be recognised as a protected person in New Zealand under the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights if he or she is able to access meaningful domestic protection in his or her country or countries of nationality or former habitual residence. (3) For the purposes of determining whether there are substantial grounds for belief under subsection (1), the refugee and protection officer concerned must take into account all relevant considerations, including, if applicable, the existence in the country concerned of a consistent pattern of gross, flagrant, or mass violations of human rights. (4) A person who has been recognised as a protected person under subsection (1) cannot be deported from New Zealand except in the circumstances set out in section 164(4) . (5) For the purposes of this section,— (a) treatment inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions is not to be treated as arbitrary deprivation of life or cruel treatment, unless the sanctions are imposed in disregard of accepted international standards: (b) the impact on the person of the inability of a country to provide health or medical care, or health or medical care of a particular type or quality, is not to be treated as arbitrary deprivation of life or cruel treatment. (6) In this section, cruel treatment means cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.