Britain is sending asylum-seekers to Rwanda. It sets a dangerous precedent
acknowledged some of these concerns. But the Home Office spokesperson tells TIME that “Rwanda is a safe country and has previously been recognised for providing a safe haven for refugees.”of downplaying and ignoring the real risks. “The government has wholly mischaracterized Rwanda, saying that it’s a Safe Third Country,” says Yasmine Ahmed, U.K. director of HRW. Rwanda has achieved impressive development gains since its 1994 genocide, which saw at least 800,00 people slaughtered.
Although the last-minute attempts to block the flight were rejected, the courts have yet to rule on the actual legality of the government policy, which the high court judgecould take six weeks. If the policy is found to be unlawful, those who have already been sent to Rwanda will be able to return to the U.K. to seek asylum.
Moseley adds that many of the asylum seekers were extremely distressed after the Monday court hearing. She says an Iranian man, who is one of the seven due to fly out, couldn’t bear the idea of being separated from his adult son in the U.K., and his wife and two daughters who are still in Iran. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees made a rare intervention in publicly opposing the U.K.-Rwanda asylum policy. “People fleeing war, conflict and persecution deserve compassion and empathy. They should not be traded like commodities and transferred abroad for processing,” the body said in aHaving rode to victory in the 2019 general election on the promise to “get Brexit done,” Johnson has been under considerable pressure by Conservative Party members to take a hardline stance on migrants.
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