NEW DELHI: The UK Parliament has recently approved a controversial bill that allows the government to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda for their asylum claims to be assessed in the East African nation, as per a report by CNN.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced opposition in Parliament and legal challenges in British courts while trying to push through this bill, with lawmakers and activists raising concerns about human rights implications.The government’s attempts to implement this policy have led to significant embarrassment, as millions of pounds have been sent to Rwanda for a program that has not yielded any results so far, as reported by CNN.
The aim of the bill is to deter irregular migration into the UK, particularly targeting individuals who travel in unsafe small boats from France, often facilitated by criminal organizations. Under the legislation, individuals who reach the UK may be sent to Rwanda for their asylum claims to be processed. If their claim is accepted, they will remain in Rwanda. However, if their claim is rejected, the bill states that they cannot be deported from Rwanda to any country other than the UK, although the exact outcome in such scenarios remains unclear.
The concept of this scheme was introduced in 2022 when Prime Minister Sunak made it a priority to halt these arrivals, aligning with a Conservative promise to “stop the boats.” However, two years later, the absence of any deportations has been viewed as a significant setback for Sunak, according to CNN. Last year, the UK Supreme Court deemed the policy unlawful due to the risk that asylum seekers could face ill-treatment if returned to Rwanda, violating international human rights standards. The court highlighted previous concerns regarding human rights abuses in Rwanda, such as extrajudicial killings and torture.
In response to these challenges, the UK government introduced the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill earlier this year, asserting that Rwanda is a safe country and overriding the judiciary’s concerns. Home Secretary James Cleverly confirmed that the bill has been passed in Parliament and will soon become law, aiming to prevent misuse of human rights claims to obstruct deportations and reaffirming UK sovereignty over European court rulings, as per CNN.
Despite the bill’s approval, potential legal hurdles may arise in the European Court of Human Rights, given the UK’s commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights. The European court has previously prohibited the UK from transferring asylum seekers to Rwanda. The bill has faced delays due to ongoing amendments in a process known as “ping pong” between the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
In 2022, the migration observatory at the University of Oxford reported 45,744 arrivals via small boats, contributing to a total net migration of 745,000 for the year. These figures pose a challenge for Prime Minister Sunak and the Conservative Party, especially with an upcoming general election. Opposition parties, such as Labour, have expressed intentions to scrap the Rwanda relocation plans if they come into power. The general election is expected to take place later this year, setting the stage for a contentious debate on immigration policies, according to Al Jazeera.
(With inputs from agencies)
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