Editing Repatriation (section)

===Voluntary vs. forced return===
[[Voluntary return]] is the return of eligible persons, such as refugees, to their [[country of origin]] or citizenship based on freely expressed willingness to such return. Voluntary return, unlike expulsion and deportation, which are actions of sovereign states, is defined as a personal right under specific conditions described in various international instruments, such as the [[OAU Convention]], along with customary international law.
[[File:Two 11th century stone lintels from Thailand.jpg|thumb|250x250px|The U.S. government returns two 11th century stone lintels to Thailand, marking the end of a four-year effort on behalf of the Thailand to bring these items home.]]
Examples of contemporary repatriation include Germany repatriating around 320,000 Bosnian refugees starting 1997, German readmission agreements with Romania and Bulgaria in 1993, expulsion of 21,000 Albanians in 1996 from Italy, expulsion of 51,000 from Netherlands in 1996.<ref name="Zetter">[https://www.temaasyl.se/Documents/Artiklar/hors259.pdf Zetter, Roger, et al. "An assessment of the impact of asylum policies in Europe, 1990-2000." Home Office Online Report 17.03 (2003).]</ref> Sweden and Italy applied in some cases detention prior to expulsion, which was described as [[Deterrence theory|deterrence]].<ref name="Zetter"/> Certain countries offer financial support to refugees and immigrants to facilitate the process of starting a new life in their country of origin. Examples of 21st-century voluntary return include the Danish government, which in 2009 began offering £12,000 each to immigrants to return,<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/denmark/6533845/Denmark-offers-immigrants-12000-to-return-home.html "Denmark offers immigrants £12,000 to return home"], The Telegraph. November 10, 2009. Retrieved 9 feb 2017</ref> Switzerland offering approximately 6,500 Francs, targeted for business startups upon returning home,<ref>[http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/ubochi/112809.html "Switzerland and Nigerians Abroad"], Temple Chima Ubochi. ''Nigeria World''. November 28, 2009. Retrieved 9 feb 2017</ref> as well as Ireland.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/nov/15/ireland-pay-immigrants-go-home "Irish government to pay immigrants to go home"], Henry McDonald. ''The Guardian''. November 14, 2009. Retrieved 9 feb 2017</ref> In 2016, Germany allocated €150 million over three years for migrants willing to return,<ref>[http://www.politico.eu/article/germany-to-pay-for-migrants-to-go-home-gerd-muller/ "Germany to pay for migrants to go home"], Cynthia Kroet. Politico EU. December 9, 2016. Retrieved 9 feb 2017</ref> and the Swedish government began offering £3,500 each.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160831153703/http://www.onenewsnow.com/culture/2016/08/29/thousands-of-migrants-paid-by-swedish-govt-to-leave "Thousands of migrants paid by Swedish gov't to leave"], Michael F. Haverluck. One News Now. August 29, 2016. Retrieved 9 feb 2017</ref> 544 Nigerians returned home from Switzerland in 2013.<ref>[http://www.swissinfo.ch/directdemocracy/returning-asylum-seekers_a-fresh-start-in-nigeria--brought-to-you-by-switzerland/38687662 "A fresh start in Nigeria, brought to you by Switzerland"], Veronica DeVore. Swiss Info. June 6, 2014. Retrieved 9 Feb 2017</ref> This financial support may also be considered as residency buyouts.

Two countries may have a re-admission agreement, which establishes procedures, on a reciprocal basis, for one state to return irregular non-nationals to their country of origin or a country through which they have transited.<ref name="Perruchoud 2011"/> [[Illegal immigrant]]s are frequently repatriated as a matter of government policy. Repatriation measures of [[voluntary return]], with financial assistance, as well as measures of [[deportation]] are used in many countries.

As repatriation can be voluntary or forced, the term is also used as a euphemism for deportation. Involuntary or forced repatriation is the return of refugees, prisoners of war, or civil detainees to their country of origin under circumstances that leave no other viable alternatives. According to [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] refugees under political persecution should be given [[political asylum]].<ref>[https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 14]</ref><ref name="Perruchoud 2011">Perruchoud, Richard and Jillyanne Redpath-Cross (eds.), Glossary on Migration, Second Edition, International Organisation for Migration, International Migration Law, No. 25, Geneva, 2011.</ref> The forced return of people to any country where "life or freedom would be threatened" due to "race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion" is against [[Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees]] according to [[non-refoulement]].<ref name="convention">{{Cite news|url=http://www.unhcr.org/protection/basic/3b66c2aa10/convention-protocol-relating-status-refugees.html|title=Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees|last=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|work=UNHCR|access-date=2017-03-27|language=en}}</ref>