UN chiefs criticize British Rwanda deportation law
Published: Tuesday, Apr 23rd 2024, 11:50
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The heads of the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and the UN Human Rights Office have called on the UK to reconsider the new law on facilitating the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda.
The law passed on Monday significantly restricts the possibility of resisting deportation - even if migrants are exposed to risks, UNHCR head Filippo Grandi and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, announced in Geneva on Tuesday. The personal circumstances of those affected could possibly not be sufficiently examined before deportation - contrary to international humanitarian law. The UK is thus creating a dangerous precedent. It is particularly worrying that the law allows the government to ignore decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.
The British House of Lords, as the second chamber, approved the bill on Tuesday night after prolonged opposition. The UK has thus declared the East African country a safe third country, making it possible to deport asylum seekers. The law is intended to deter people from making the dangerous journey across the English Channel in rubber dinghies and destroy the business model of people smugglers.
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