APO Group - Africa Newsroom / Press Release

Source: United Kingdom Home Office | Apr 25, 2024

United Kingdom-Rwanda Treaty completes ratification process

UK and Rwanda pass further milestone with Treaty ratification

The UK-Rwanda Treaty has been ratified as the Safety of Rwanda Act receives Royal Assent, marking the end of a crucial week in Parliament and getting flights to Rwanda one step closer. The internationally binding Treaty between the UK and Rwanda addresses the Supreme Court’s findings on the partnership last year, introducing…

Source: Human Rights Watch (HRW) | Apr 24, 2024

United Kingdom’s Harmful Rwanda Bill to Become Law

Government Should Abandon Cruel Scheme and Protect Asylum Seekers

It is a dark day in the United Kingdom as the Safety of Rwanda Bill will soon become law after passing its final stages in parliament yesterday. This will have a devastating impact on human rights and the rule of law, risking the lives of people who came to the UK seeking…

Source: Human Rights Watch (HRW) | Apr 24, 2024

The United Kingdom Again Attempts to Bend Truth on Rwanda

Government Official Touts Misinformation

In an interview on the BBC’s Today Program this week, Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell sang the praises of Rwanda’s “remarkable regime.” But as the debate over the government’s Safety of Rwanda bill came to a close, he left out some important facts about Rwanda’s human rights record. When asked about an…

Source: International Rescue Committee (IRC) | Apr 23, 2024

Sending refugees to Rwanda, or anywhere else, will never be an effective solution, warns International Rescue Committee (IRC)

IRC UK Responds to the Passing of the Safety of Rwanda Bill

Denisa Delić, Director of Advocacy, International Rescue Committee UK, said, “Irrespective of the passage of the Safety of Rwanda Bill, sending refugees to Rwanda is an ineffective, unnecessarily cruel and costly approach. Rather than outsourcing its responsibilities under international law, we urge the government to abandon this misguided plan and…

Source: Médecins sans frontières (MSF) | Apr 23, 2024

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) United Kingdom reaction to passing of Safety of Rwanda bill

The passing of the 'Safety of Rwanda bill' marks another dark chapter in the UK's brutal approach to migration, which is rooted in policies of deterring, externalising and punishing people for seeking protection in the UK

The Safety of Rwanda bill is cruel and profoundly dangerous. MSF UK opposes the principle of this approach on medical, ethical and humanitarian grounds. The UK government's plan to forcibly and permanently expel people seeking safety in the UK – including children and survivors of torture and trafficking to Rwanda,…

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Source: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) | Apr 23, 2024

United Kingdom (UK)-Rwanda asylum law: United Nations (UN) leaders warn of harmful consequences

The new legislation is the third in a series of progressively restrictive UK laws that have eroded access to refugee protection in the UK since 2022

Following the passage of the “Safety of Rwanda” Bill by the UK Parliament, two UN leaders have again sounded the alarm on the harmful impact it will have on global responsibility-sharing, human rights and refugee protection. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Volker Türk, the UN High…

Source: UN News | Apr 23, 2024

Airlines urged not to facilitate United Kingdom-Rwanda asylum transfers

Airlines should be held responsible if they assist in the removal of asylum seekers from the UK

Two years ago, London announced the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP), now referred to as the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership, which stated that asylum seekers in the UK would be sent to Rwanda before their cases could be heard. The national Rwandan asylum system would then consider their need for international…

Source: Government of UK | Apr 23, 2024

Rwanda Bill to become law in major illegal migration milestone

Final phase of implementing the flagship policy to commence, marking a crucial step in the global response to illegal migration

UK government efforts to stop the boats and tackle illegal migration took a major step forward, after the Safety of Rwanda Bill completed its passage through Parliament overnight, Monday 22 April.  The Bill’s passing means the government can enter the final phase of operational planning to get flights off the…

Source: Government of UK | Apr 23, 2024

Prime Minister (PM) statement on Safety of Rwanda Bill: 23 April 2024

PM Rishi Sunak's statement on the passing of the Safety of Rwanda Bill

The passing of this landmark legislation is not just a step forward but a fundamental change in the global equation on migration. We introduced the Rwanda Bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs who exploit them. The passing of…

Source: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) | Apr 22, 2024

United Kingdom (UK): Airlines and aviation authorities should not facilitate unlawful removals to Rwanda, United Nations (UN) experts say

Removing asylum-seekers to Rwanda or any other country where they would be at risk of refoulement would violate the right to be free from torture

UN experts* today expressed concern about the role of airlines and aviation authorities in facilitating unlawful removals to Rwanda under the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of Rwanda, and the ‘Safety of Rwanda’ Bill. “Even if the UK-Rwanda agreement and the ‘Safety of Rwanda’…