Following the UK Parliament’s approval of a controversial Rwanda bill that would pave the way for the deportation of asylum seekers to the East African country, UN leaders have sounded the alarm about the “harmful impact” it will have on global sharing of responsibilities, human rights and refugees. protection, Anadolu Agency reports.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in a joint statement called on the UK government to reconsider its plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda and instead take practical measures to address irregular flows of refugees and migrants through international cooperation and respect for international human rights law.
“The new legislation marks a further step away from the UK’s long tradition of providing asylum to those in need, in breach of the Refugee Convention,” Grundy said, stressing that refugee protection requires all countries, not just neighboring crisis countries zones, supported their rights. obligations.
“This arrangement seeks to shift responsibility for protecting refugees, undermining international cooperation and setting a worrying global precedent,” he said.
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Recognizing the challenges posed by the irregular movement of refugees and migrants, UN leaders expressed “serious concerns” that the law would facilitate the transfer of refugees under the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership with limited consideration of their individual circumstances or protection risks.
They called on the UK to continue practical cooperation with countries along refugee and migrant routes, strengthen protection and offer viable alternatives that include expanding safe and regular protection routes.
“By shifting responsibility to refugees, limiting the ability of UK courts to review removal decisions, limiting access to remedies in the UK and limiting the scope of domestic and international human rights protections for a specific group of people, this new legislation seriously impedes the rule of law in the UK and sets a dangerous precedent all over the world,” Turk said.
He added: “To protect the human rights and dignity of refugees and migrants seeking protection, it is vital that all removals from the UK are carried out after an assessment of their specific individual circumstances, in strict accordance with international human rights and refugee law.”
The British government’s Rwanda Security Bill will become law when it is passed by parliament late on Monday.
The bill seeks to address concerns from the UK Supreme Court, which ruled that the government’s original plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful.
The bill would require judges to treat Rwanda as a safe country and give ministers the power to ignore certain provisions of the Human Rights Act.
The Rwanda plan was one of the government’s most controversial migration policies as it sparked international criticism and widespread protests across the UK.
Sunak said last January that tackling illegal migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats was among his government’s five priorities as more than 45,000 migrants arrived in the UK in 2022.
READ: “No ifs, no buts”: UK Sunak promises to start flights to Rwanda
