Thursday, August 18, 2022
Why is the UK Government propping up an oppessive regime?
As if the UK Tory Government plan to send genuine asylum seekers to Rwanda was not morally indefensible enough, it turns out that ministers ignored warnings by one of its own advisers that Rwanda tortures and kills political opponents, but continued with plans to send refugees there anyway.
The Mirror reports that an email disclosed to the High Court said "arbitrary detention, torture and even killings" are "accepted" methods of maintaining control in the east African country:
Both candidates hoping to become the next Prime Minister have vowed to continue with the scheme, which has been branded "unworkable" and "unethical" by critics.
The government is attempting to keep parts of documents about the project - which has already cost taxpayers at least £120 million - secret, citing national security concerns.
The controversial policy, was announced earlier this year by Home Secretary Priti Patel, and it has emerged that in an email sent on April 26 - two weeks after the unveiling - a government insider raised concerns about the way Rwanda's human rights record was being presented.
The email read: “There are state control, security, surveillance structures from the national level down to [households]. Political opposition is not tolerated and arbitrary detention, torture and even killings are accepted methods of enforcing control too.”
That any democratically elected politician should consider paying millions of pounds to an oppressive regime to take refugees coming to our country seeking asylum, is a disgrace. As Steve Crawshaw, director of policy and advocacy at Freedom from Torture says:
“It is deeply disturbing that UK ministers have once again ignored warnings about the use of torture and arbitrary killings by the Rwandan state, particularly given that torture survivors were among those that this government attempted to send to Rwanda in June."
He continued: "Instead of pursuing these dangerous ‘cash-for-humans’ schemes, the government should expand safe routes to protection, strengthen international cooperation on refugee protection and ensure diplomatic and humanitarian interventions to reduce push factors driving people to make perilous journeys to reach safety.”
This government continues to sink into an ever deeper ethical swamp, and in doing so is compromising its own democratic integrity and turning our country into a pariah state.
The Mirror reports that an email disclosed to the High Court said "arbitrary detention, torture and even killings" are "accepted" methods of maintaining control in the east African country:
Both candidates hoping to become the next Prime Minister have vowed to continue with the scheme, which has been branded "unworkable" and "unethical" by critics.
The government is attempting to keep parts of documents about the project - which has already cost taxpayers at least £120 million - secret, citing national security concerns.
The controversial policy, was announced earlier this year by Home Secretary Priti Patel, and it has emerged that in an email sent on April 26 - two weeks after the unveiling - a government insider raised concerns about the way Rwanda's human rights record was being presented.
The email read: “There are state control, security, surveillance structures from the national level down to [households]. Political opposition is not tolerated and arbitrary detention, torture and even killings are accepted methods of enforcing control too.”
That any democratically elected politician should consider paying millions of pounds to an oppressive regime to take refugees coming to our country seeking asylum, is a disgrace. As Steve Crawshaw, director of policy and advocacy at Freedom from Torture says:
“It is deeply disturbing that UK ministers have once again ignored warnings about the use of torture and arbitrary killings by the Rwandan state, particularly given that torture survivors were among those that this government attempted to send to Rwanda in June."
He continued: "Instead of pursuing these dangerous ‘cash-for-humans’ schemes, the government should expand safe routes to protection, strengthen international cooperation on refugee protection and ensure diplomatic and humanitarian interventions to reduce push factors driving people to make perilous journeys to reach safety.”
This government continues to sink into an ever deeper ethical swamp, and in doing so is compromising its own democratic integrity and turning our country into a pariah state.
