Ministers have been repeatedly warned about Rwanda’s poor refugee and human rights record, including cases where asylum-seekers being illegally deployed to Afghanistan. Further asylum-seekers and campaigners are protesting against the Home Office plans to deport refugees on a one way ticket to the east African nation. Lawyers have pin pointed the alarming situation that refugees have been turned away at Rwanda’s airport and returned to their origin country, this is a crime known as refoulement. Lets look what is this case about?
What is the crime against Rwanda’s Refugee?
The UK government said, “anyone entering the UK illegally” after 1 January 2022 could be sent, with no limit numbers. Rwanda says it is ready to handle 1000 asylum seekers during the trail, but has capacity more than that. The five-year trial will see refugees sent to Rwanda on a one-way ticket, to claim asylum there instead.
What are the Legal Challenges?
Charities, campaign groups and lawyers representing asylum seekers have launched a series of legal challenges. They question whether Rwanda is a safe destination and argues that the scheme breaks the European convention on Human Rights. If the review judges the policy as to be unlawful, any asylum seeker sent to Rwanda could be returned.
Is Rwanda safe for asylum seekers?
The UK government says Rwanda is a suitable destination for asylum seekers. It was said that Rwanda is a “secure country, with a track record of supporting asylum seekers”. However, lawyers and campaigners who opposed Rwanda policy claims that, “Rwanda is in substance a one-party authoritarian state with extreme level of surveillance that does not tolerate political opposition”.
Afghans and Syrian asylum-seekers are among those who have been targeted by Home Office for deportation to Rwanda. Also Rwanda has carried out extrajudicial killings as a “tried and tested means of dealing with opponents-both at home and abroad.” People have been demonstrating against this crime with speakers including Labour MPs, and refugee rights campaigners. The policy has higher impacts on the asylum seekers and can affect their mental health as well as their overall wellbeing. It is also against the human rights, only for money purpose government have sold its soul likewise how “Doctor Faustus” sold his soul to the devil. This policy is highly barbaric and traumatizing.