LGBTQ+ charity blasts UK government’s ‘cruel’ Rwanda policy as it becomes law
"This government has signed off a policy to banish and abandon people who fled to the UK, seeking to find safety here"
An LGBTQ+ charity helping people with asylum claims has blasted the UK government over its “cruel” Rwanda policy after it was passed by Parliament.
On Monday (22 April) the UK Parliament passed the government’s bill despite the UK Supreme Court ruling it unlawful last year. The policy, long held up in legal battles, could see asylum seekers sent to Rwanda while their claims are processed.
As per the BBC, those taken to Rwanda wouldn’t be able to come back to the UK. They would have to seek asylum in Rwanda or another country. Ministers behind the policy have hoped it would deter people arriving in the UK on boats. The broadcaster also estimates around 52,000 people could be impacted.
The policy orders the UK courts to ignore the Human Rights Act as well as the International Refugee Convention, which would block deportations. It also marks Rwanda as a ‘safe’ country despite the government’s own guidance previously advising against travel to the country for LGBTQ+ people.
Commenting on the legislation, Rainbow Migration, which supports LGBTQ+ people through the asylum and immigration system, said it was “devastated.” Warning of an imminent increased need for its services it continued: “By pushing forward with this legislation, this government has signed off a policy to banish and abandon people who fled to the UK, seeking to find safety here.”
It further lambasted the government’s policy as “cruel,” and as placing people fleeing persecution in danger. Homosexuality is legal in Rwanda. However, there have been reports of LGBTQ+ people facing widespread abuse.
“It is dystopian that this government has passed a law that ignores facts and declares contrary to evidence that Rwanda is a safe country”
The charity’s Executive Director, Leila Zadeh, added: “It is dystopian that this government has passed a law that ignores facts and declares contrary to evidence that Rwanda is a safe country. Most of us welcome people who have fled unimaginable horrors, but instead, this government is intent on sending them to danger.”
Innocent, a gay man who came to the UK from Rwanda 20 years ago, also said: “Having experienced the discrimination faced by LGBTQI+ people – or those perceived to be sexual minorities in Rwanda – I am shocked that the UK would deport people from our community there.”
Rainbow Migration has pledged to keep working to ensure people fleeing persecution are properly supported. It will also keep challenging attempts to deport people to a country where they won’t be safe and have no connections.
In the Supreme Court decision in November 2023, the five judges ruled unanimously “there were substantial grounds for believing that a real risk of refoulement.” This would be a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, which the UK has signed.