Section 1: In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires–

“Appeal Committee” means the Refugee Status Appeal Committee established by paragraph (c) of section 3; “asylum seeker” means a person who has expressed a wish for asylum, whether a formal application has been made for it or not; “Authority” means the National Refugee Authority established by paragraph (a) of section 3; “authorised officer” has the meaning assigned thereto in section 29; “country of nationality” in relation to a person who has more than one nationality, means each of the countries of which that person is a national; “Implementing Agency” has the meaning assigned thereto in section 6; “members of his family”, in relation to a refugee means– (i) any spouse of the refugee; (ii) any unmarried child of the refugee, including an adopted child under the age of eighteen years; or (iii) any person who is related to the refugee by blood or marriage and who is dependent upon the refugee; “Minister” means the Minister responsible for foreign affairs; “minor” means a person below the age of eighteen years; “non-citizen” means any person who is not a citizen of Sierra Leone; “OAU Convention” means the Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of the Refugee Problem in Africa, done at Addis Ababa on 10th September, 1969 and ratified by Sierra Leone on 28th December, 1987; “protected person”, in relation to a recognised refugee, means– (i) a member of the family of the recognised refugee; or (ii) a person who, under section 14, is permitted to continue to remain within Sierra Leone; “protocol” means the protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, done at New York on 31st January 1967 and acceded to by Sierra Leone on 22nd May, 1981; “recognised refugee” means a refugee who– (a) has been recognised as a refugee under this Act; or (b) is a member of a class of persons declared to be refugees by the Authority under paragraph (c) of subsection (2) of section 2; “refugee”, has the meaning assigned thereto in section 2, and includes an asylum seeker; “separated minor”, means a minor who is separated from both parents or from his previous legal or customary primary care-giver, but not necessarily from other relatives and may therefore include a child who is accompanied by other adult family members; Interpretation. No. Refugees Protection Act 2007No. Refugees Protection Act 20074 5 “spouse” includes a common law spouse; “torture” means, but is not limited to, any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession; punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity, but does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions; “United Nations Convention” means the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, done at Geneva on 28th July, 1951 and acceded to by Sierra Leone on 22nd May, 1981; “unaccompanied minor” means a minor who is separated from both parents and other relatives and is not being cared for by an adult who, by law or custom, is responsible for doing so.