Monday, January 15, 2024
Misleading legislation
As the House of Commons vote on the government's Rwanda bill approaches, the Mirror reports on new documentation that has emerged, which highlights the absurdity of Ministers legislating to create their own fantasy solution to immigration.
The paper says that Ministers have "brushed aside" evidence of refugee killings, discrimination and suppression in Rwanda in a desperate bid to declare the country "safe:
A Home Office assessment said Rwanda was a "relatively peaceful country with respect for the rule of law" but admitted there are "issues with its human rights record around political opposition to the current regime, dissent and free speech". The documents reveal the fatal shooting of 12 people protesting food cuts at a refugee camp was dismissed as an "isolated incident" by the Home Office.
Officials admitted LGBT people may face "discrimination in practice" if sent to the African country. A Government policy statement also said there are concerns over human rights violations toward political opponents. But it claimed this doesn't impact the deportation scheme as these are directed at Rwandans rather than refugees.
Campaigners said the dossier, which was released ahead of a crunch vote this week, "blows a hole" in the Government's claim that Rwanda is safe. Rishi Sunak is set for a two-day Commons battle from Tuesday as he tries to revive his controversial deportation scheme, which the Supreme Court said was illegal in November.
The Rwanda Bill would declare it a safe country to send asylum seekers to, while reducing the rights of individuals to appeal. Documents designed to support the Government's claim that Rwanda is safe concede that LGBT people "may face some discrimination in practice in Rwanda" but legal protections for the LGBT community are "generally considered more progressive" than its neighbours.
The assessment added that the Rwandan constitution has a "broad prohibition of discrimination". It also described a 2018 protest in the Kiziba refugee camp where 12 people were shot dead by police as "an isolated case and there is no information on similar incidents since 2018".
The dossier also raised concerns about the Rwandan government's suppression of its own population. But it sought to ease fears, saying: "Most reports of any alleged human rights violations in Rwanda relate to Rwandan nationals who are critics of the government."
Natasha Tsangarides, associate director of advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said: “Even the Home Office has acknowledged the serious human rights violations in Rwanda. It’s utterly shameful that even after all this expert evidence, the Government is relentlessly pushing ahead with this policy."
Steve Smith, chief executive of Care4Calais said Rwanda’s poor human rights record, discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, and the killing of asylum seekers in 2018, were all "brushed aside". He said: "It is a shocking example of doublethink that the Government is proceeding in the full knowledge that the Home Secretary has issued a policy statement expressing legitimate concerns over Rwanda’s human rights record – concerns which it has blithely chosen to ignore. This blows a hole in the Government's feeble assertion that the Supreme Court was wrong, and that Rwanda is a safe country for refugees."
Steve Smith is absolutely right in suggesting that there is something Orwellian about the Government's approach to this matter. Just because a government says so, does not make it a reality, and that goes double for the kind of legislation Rishi Sunak is now promoting. What's next, a bill that insists black is white?
The paper says that Ministers have "brushed aside" evidence of refugee killings, discrimination and suppression in Rwanda in a desperate bid to declare the country "safe:
A Home Office assessment said Rwanda was a "relatively peaceful country with respect for the rule of law" but admitted there are "issues with its human rights record around political opposition to the current regime, dissent and free speech". The documents reveal the fatal shooting of 12 people protesting food cuts at a refugee camp was dismissed as an "isolated incident" by the Home Office.
Officials admitted LGBT people may face "discrimination in practice" if sent to the African country. A Government policy statement also said there are concerns over human rights violations toward political opponents. But it claimed this doesn't impact the deportation scheme as these are directed at Rwandans rather than refugees.
Campaigners said the dossier, which was released ahead of a crunch vote this week, "blows a hole" in the Government's claim that Rwanda is safe. Rishi Sunak is set for a two-day Commons battle from Tuesday as he tries to revive his controversial deportation scheme, which the Supreme Court said was illegal in November.
The Rwanda Bill would declare it a safe country to send asylum seekers to, while reducing the rights of individuals to appeal. Documents designed to support the Government's claim that Rwanda is safe concede that LGBT people "may face some discrimination in practice in Rwanda" but legal protections for the LGBT community are "generally considered more progressive" than its neighbours.
The assessment added that the Rwandan constitution has a "broad prohibition of discrimination". It also described a 2018 protest in the Kiziba refugee camp where 12 people were shot dead by police as "an isolated case and there is no information on similar incidents since 2018".
The dossier also raised concerns about the Rwandan government's suppression of its own population. But it sought to ease fears, saying: "Most reports of any alleged human rights violations in Rwanda relate to Rwandan nationals who are critics of the government."
Natasha Tsangarides, associate director of advocacy at Freedom from Torture, said: “Even the Home Office has acknowledged the serious human rights violations in Rwanda. It’s utterly shameful that even after all this expert evidence, the Government is relentlessly pushing ahead with this policy."
Steve Smith, chief executive of Care4Calais said Rwanda’s poor human rights record, discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, and the killing of asylum seekers in 2018, were all "brushed aside". He said: "It is a shocking example of doublethink that the Government is proceeding in the full knowledge that the Home Secretary has issued a policy statement expressing legitimate concerns over Rwanda’s human rights record – concerns which it has blithely chosen to ignore. This blows a hole in the Government's feeble assertion that the Supreme Court was wrong, and that Rwanda is a safe country for refugees."
Steve Smith is absolutely right in suggesting that there is something Orwellian about the Government's approach to this matter. Just because a government says so, does not make it a reality, and that goes double for the kind of legislation Rishi Sunak is now promoting. What's next, a bill that insists black is white?
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