Art. 1 of the 1951 Geneva Convention, which has been incorporated into Italian law, defines a “refugee” as anyone who has a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or holding a particular political opinion; the refugee is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country, or someone who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to return to it.”