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The British government on Tuesday signed a new agreement with Rwanda to resume the process of deporting UK asylum seekers to the Central African country.
Last month, the British Supreme Court ruled that the original plan signed by the two governments violated international human rights laws that were part of domestic legislation.
British Home Secretary James Cleverly signed the agreement with his Rwandan counterpart, Vincent Biruta.
Cleverly said the new agreement would “address all the issues” raised by the Supreme Court last month. For his part, Biruta said Rwanda remains “very committed” to the plan.
As Reuters explained, the new agreement stipulates that Rwanda will not deport asylum seekers to a country where their lives or freedom would be at risk.
There will also be a monitoring committee to which asylum seekers can submit complaints, as well as an appeals body made up of judges from different countries. Separately, the UK government has agreed to pay accommodation and living expenses for people transferred to Rwanda for up to five years.
Cleverley said he hoped deportations of migrants to Rwanda would begin in the coming months, because the new agreement had already addressed all the issues raised by Justice.
However, according to lawyers and charities, deportation flights are unlikely to begin before elections scheduled for next year.
The Home Office has also published an emergency law, which will be presented to Parliament on Thursday, to make clear that Rwanda is a safe country for asylum seekers.
The legislation was released with a statement from Cleverley: “I cannot declare, in my opinion, that the provisions of the Rwandan Security (Asylum and Immigration) Bill are compatible with Convention rights.” [Europeo de Derechos Humanos]However, the government wants the House of Representatives to proceed with the draft law.”
The warning means that the new measures could be legally challenged and the Supreme Court could rule that they violate human rights obligations.
Biruta rejected allegations that Rwanda is not a safe country, and asked after signing the agreement with Cleverly: “How did we move from a model country to a dangerous country in just four short years?” To what extent is this perception related to the internal politics of the United Kingdom? Sky News.
Anwar Solomon, CEO of the UK Refugee Council, criticized Rwanda’s deportation plan, saying: “We know the dire consequences these plans have on the refugees we work with, who are pushed into unsafe and dangerous situations.” guardian.
“Many avoid contact with essential services because they fear being deported to Rwanda, which increases the risk of exploitation and abuse,” he added.
On Wednesday, Immigration Secretary Robert Jenrick resigned over the government’s handling of the Rwanda plan.
As shown Sky NewsJenrick was encouraging Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to adopt the tougher version of the legislation; However, Sunak was unable to meet these demands due to the risk of sparking discontent among the more moderate faction of the Conservative Party.
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