We welcome the news that the Supreme Court has declared the removal of people to Rwanda to be unlawful.
The plan was part of a wider, deeply troubling hostile environment towards people who have come to the UK seeking sanctuary. People have been living with the threat of removal to Rwanda hanging over them for the last year, and have told us how this fear has affected them and their loved ones.
We hope, rather than scrambling to find a Plan B, the UK government immediately starts to repair the damage done to our asylum system and drops any efforts to force this or a similar scheme through.
The evidence submitted by UNHCR on Rwanda’s human rights record was shocking and included more than 100 examples of refoulement, breaching international law, and a 100% rejection rate for asylum applications from people from Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Our chief executive, Sabir Zazai, said:
“We’re relieved at this potentially life-saving decision from the Supreme Court. Given the evidence of Rwanda’s failure to comply with human rights obligations, it is shocking to think a UK government ever proposed this plan.
People have had this threat hanging over them for a whole year. We’ve seen an increase in anxiety and distress that can be traced back directly to this.
It’s also been a huge waste of government time and resources that should have been invested in making the current system fairer and more effective.”
Read our shared statement on the ruling with refugee groups across the UK.
We will continue to campaign against cruel and immoral policies and for the rights of people who come to the UK in search of safety.
Find out more about the support we can offer people who have arrived in Scotland seeking safety.
