Credibility Assessments in Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Asylum Cases: Evidence from a Quantitative Study of Case Law in Switzerland

Author(s) : Mathis Schnell

Source : https://doi.org/10.26034/cm.sjs.2024.6163

Abstract:

In asylum cases pertaining to sexual orientation/gender identity (SOGI), credibility is of amplified relevance. I analyse the decisions of the Federal Administrative Court and can confirm that credibility is addressed extensively in SOGI cases, which in turn has a negative impact on the likelihood of a positive verdict. In a field dominated by qualitative approaches, the analysis contributes to the understanding of how credibility acts as a central filtering device in the asylum proceedings and how this is increasingly evident in SOGI cases.

Kexwords: Credibility, Migration, Sexual Asylum, Switzerland, Text-as-data