Council of Europe slams UK asylum pact with Rwanda

by dpa | 23.Apr 2024 | Europe in brief

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The United Kingdom’s House of Lords has approved a bill to establish a controversial asylum pact with Rwanda. The Council of Europe – a human rights body independent of the EU – has strongly criticised the bill.

Eine Gruppe von Menschen, bei denen es sich vermutlich um Migranten handelt, wird von einem Rettungsboot nach einem Zwischenfall mit einem kleinen Boot im Ärmelkanal an Land gebracht. ie britische Regierung ist vor Gericht mit ihren Plänen gescheitert, Asylbewerber nach Ruanda abzuschieben. Das Oberste Gericht in London nannte das Vorhaben am Mittwoch, 15.11.2023, rechtswidrig.
A group of people, believed to be migrants, are brought ashore by a lifeboat after an incident with a small boat in the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
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Brussels/Strasbourg (dpa) – The Council of Europe, a European rights body, has sharply criticised the United Kingdom for its controversial asylum pact with the central/eastern African country Rwanda.

“The United Kingdom government should refrain from removing people under the Rwanda policy and reverse the Bill’s effective infringement of judicial independence,” said the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The law raises questions about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law in general, he said.

The Council of Europe is independent of the European Union and was founded in 1949 to protect democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe.

The British bill, which was approved by the House of Lords (the upper house of the United Kingdom’s parliament) on the night from Monday to Tuesday after lengthy opposition, declares Rwanda a safe third country by law. In doing so, the government wants to prevent appeals against deportations before British courts.

The asylum pact with Rwanda stipulates that irregular migrants will no longer be given the opportunity to apply for asylum in the UK. Instead, they are to be taken to Rwanda and apply for asylum there.The regulation is intended to deter people from making the dangerous crossing across the English Channel in small boats. However, opponents doubt that the law will deter migrants.

“Managing asylum and migration is undoubtedly a complex endeavour for states, but it must always be done in full compliance with international standards,” O’Flaherty said.

The British law “is another representation of an ongoing trend towards externalisation of asylum and migration policy in Europe, which is a matter of concern for the global system of protection of the rights of refugees,” he said.

In 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which is part of the Council of Europe, prevented the UK from sending asylum seekers of different nationalities by plane to Rwanda. (23 April)

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