The Controversial UK-Rwanda Deportation Plan

In April 2022, Priti Patel and the Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta forged a migration partnership. (Source: impakter.com)

Background

With the assertions that the United Kingdom’s ministers intentionally disregarded the proof that Rwanda, a country in the east of Africa, had transgressed human rights, which includes the right to live free from persecution, the project proposed by the UK on deporting people seeking asylum to Rwanda have been defied in the high court. At first, Rwanda was exempted from the list of partner states due to fear of its human rights records, based on the information given to London’s High Court. Frequently, the British officials cautioned the government to not follow up on the plan to transfer migrants over to Rwanda.

Many individuals have criticized the plan, such as the likes of King Charles III, who according to the media, had privately called the program “appalling”, the UN chief dubbed the plan as “catastrophic”, and the whole hierarchy of the Church of England even condemned the plan as unethical and disgraceful. Following a record of 28,500 people crossing illegally through the English Channel with small boats in the previous year, the British government contends that the deportation plan will demolish the business model of a people-smuggling system. Based on the agreement, thousands of migrants who entered the coasts of Britain illegally shall be sent to Rwanda. At the very last minute, the European Court of Human Rights prevented the first prepared deportation flight under their orders. Even though the policy is under the scrutiny of the High Court, where its legality is disputed, the British government is still eager to push forward with the plan. 

Human Rights Violations of Rwanda

According to the written evidence provided to the court, the British High Commissioner to Rwanda in February last year mentioned in a memo that Rwanda shouldn’t be chosen as a location to address the illegal migrants for several reasons, one of the reasons is that the East African nation is allegedly hiring refugees to undertake military operations in neighboring states. It is also mentioned in the memo that regardless of the agreements it has ratified, Rwanda has a dreary history on human rights and has been the subject of criticism from Britain for coerced disappearances, unauthorized killings, abuses, and deaths in jail.

Showing up on behalf of the asylum seekers, Raza Husain QC mentioned that the plan was illegitimate under the common law and the Human Rights Act. Based on what Husain had stated in the court, Rwanda is a one-party totalitarian regime that does not respect political dissent. Its government constantly jails, brutalizes, and kills those that are perceived as political rivals. Police brutality will be utilized against those who demonstrate and disagrees with government orders, including the refugees. Raza also mentioned that all the observations came from members of his own administration.

Conclusion

Ever since the announcement of the agreement between former Home Secretary Priti Patel and the Rwandan government, over 20.000 people have sailed over the channel on tiny boats. This year, it is estimated that the total number of tiny boats arriving at any certain time this month will exceed the number for last year. The former Home Secretary of the UK decided to proceed with a ministerial instruction, enabling asylum seekers entering Britain’s territory to be expelled to Rwanda even though there were many protests from politicians of all levels, civil rights organizations, senior civil servants, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur for Refugees and UNHCR. Out of this agreement, the government of both nations made a big deal.

Author: Dustin Rashidi Hasan

Editor: Hafsyah Azzahra, Jennifer Clara Aprilia & Viranty Yulia Putri

References:

Holden, M. (2022, June 15). UK pushes on with plan to deport migrants to Rwanda. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-fight-legal-challenges-against-rwandan-immigration-plan-2022-06-15/

Macaskill, A. (2022, July 19). UK officials warned government not to pursue Rwanda deportation plan, court told. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/uk-officials-warned-government-not-pursue-rwanda-deportation-plan-court-hears-2022-07-19/

Madden, S. (2022, September 21). The UK’s Rwandan refugee plan is postcolonialism in action. University of Birmingham – A leading global university. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2022/rwandan-refugee-plan-is-postcolonialism-in-action-1

Syal, R., & Taylor, D. (2022, September 5). UK ministers ignored evidence Rwanda violated human rights, court told. the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/05/deported-uk-asylum-seekers-human-rights-at-risk-in-rwanda-court-told