Despite Rishi Sunak’s statement that Rwanda is a safe country, the government has acknowledged ongoing concerns about its human rights record.
The documents published on Thursday stated that although Rwanda is currently a peaceful nation that upholds the rule of law, there are still concerns about its human rights history in regards to political opposition, dissent, and freedom of speech towards the current government.
The evaluation was included in a “policy statement” from the home secretary, James Cleverly, that was sent to members of Parliament and the House of Lords in hopes of gaining support for the Rwanda legislation.
The paperwork is intended to back up the government’s assertion that Rwanda is a secure nation, a crucial aspect of Sunak’s bill to salvage his primary deportation agreement following its deemed illegality in November.
The policy statement acknowledges that it may take several months for Rwanda to enact a new asylum law, which is necessary in order to enforce the recently established treaty with the UK. The prime minister has emphasized this treaty in his attempts to persuade judges of the legality of the scheme.
In 2017, the citizens of Rwanda voted for Paul Kagame to serve as their president for a third consecutive seven-year term, with a purported 99% of the votes. However, international observers noted several issues in both the 2017 and 2018 elections, such as discrepancies in the vote counting process, according to the US government.
The US government’s human rights report for 2022 highlighted that the Rwandan government hindered the establishment of political parties, limited their activities, and postponed or rejected the registration of local and international NGOs focused on human rights, freedom of media, or political activism.
The leader of the government is prepared for a confrontation in the House of Commons on Tuesday and Wednesday regarding his proposal for Rwanda.
Sir Robert Buckland, the previous justice secretary, has proposed several changes to the Rwanda safety bill. This includes a modification that would eliminate sections stating that Rwanda is a secure country in East Africa.
Moderate conservatives are likely to refrain from rebelling, unless Sunak offers concessions to right-leaning MPs from the five factions who oppose international treaties that could restrict flights.
Liz Truss, the ex-prime minister, has joined a group of over 30 conservative Members of Parliament who want to make the bill stricter. Truss stated, “We have repeatedly promised the citizens of Britain that we will take firm action against illegal immigration, but we continue to be hindered by various unjust legal loopholes that are being taken advantage of by activist lawyers.”
“It is crucial that the laws we are enacting are airtight and eliminate any potential loopholes. This is why I support these multiple amendments.”
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The Labour party intends to propose changes that would require the government to release the complete evaluation of the bill’s expenses, including ongoing costs for each individual’s deportation and information about the financial agreement between the UK and Rwanda.
Meanwhile, ministers were accused of having a “woefully inadequate” plan to curb Channel crossings after failing to offer asylum seekers more legal ways to travel to the UK. The government was dutybound under the Illegal Migration Act passed last year to produce a report setting out what is meant by safe and legal asylum routes, and detailing which programmes were already in place, as well as any proposed additional ones.
However, in a statement released to fulfill his obligation, Cleverly did not outline any potential new routes that would be considered safe.
The Refugee Council stated that the report does not provide any new secure pathways or enhancements to current programs.
Source: theguardian.com
