The Joint Committee on Human Rights has expressed its strong opposition to the UK Government’s proposal to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, stating that the plan is not in line with the country’s human rights safeguards. The committee said that the legislation could harm the UK’s international reputation, and it urged the House of Lords to scrutinise the details of the proposal more closely. The proposed legislation, known as the Safety of Rwanda Asylum and Immigration Bill, was sanctioned by MPs last month despite opposition from both within and outside the Conservative Party.
Under the £290m proposal, individuals arriving over the English Channel would have their asylum claims rejected and be sent to Rwanda instead. The Rwandan government has promised to consider their cases for protection. However, the UK’s Supreme Court ruled that Rwanda was not a safe country since it could send back victims of abuses, such as torture, to their countries of origin. If the bill is passed, British judges will have to decide that the country is a safe place without considering the evidence a second time.
The Joint Committee on Human Rights stated that the bill would deny nearly all asylum seekers their right to ask an independent court to assess their case for remaining in the UK. The committee called on the courts to determine if Rwanda was safe instead of making that determination through legislation. The committee’s cross-party chair, Joanna Cherry KC of the SNP, warned that the bill’s flaws could potentially damage the United Kingdom’s reputation for upholding human rights. Members of the House of Lords will debate the legislation in detail this week, and they are expected to propose about 90 amendments to it
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