Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Reality is that there is a very limited retreat of the vehicles, with the occupation forces providing cover undeer fire up to Salah al-Din Street
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Claims that the Israeli occupation has withdrawn from areas in the neighborhoods of al-Zaytoun, al-Tuffah, and al-Shujaiya are false
Hamas: The two delegations stressed that any negotiations must lead to the achievement of our people's goals and aspirations, foremost among which is ending the war and the complete withdrawal of enemy forces
Hamas: A delegation from the Hamas leadership, led by the head of the leadership council, Mohammad Darwish, met with an Islamic Jihad delegation, headed by its Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah

UK standing imperiled if Rwanda deportation scheme is applied

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 26 Mar 2023 22:39
4 Min Read

There is fear that other conservative European governments would follow Britain’s lead and consider African states to deport asylum seekers.

  • x
  • Protestors demonstrate outside the Home Office against the British Governments plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, in London, Britain, June 13, 2022. (Reuters)
    Protesters demonstrate outside the Home Office against the British government's plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, in London, Britain, June 13, 2022. (Reuters)

The new head of Human Rights Watch, Tirana Hassan, said the UK's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda would "completely erode" Britain's standing on the world stage.

Tirana Hassan also said that other conservative European governments were also considering African states to dump asylum seekers, which furthermore harms refugee protection.

“Everyone should care about this. This isn’t just about what’s happening in the UK,” Hassan told The Guardian.

Rwanda approved the UK's deportation scheme almost a year ago but legal challenges have arisen ever since, including interventions from the European Court of Human Rights.

Read more: UK uses Rwanda deportation card as threat against asylum seekers

Home Secretary of the European Court of Human Rights Suella Braverman visited Kigali earlier this month and found accommodation blocks being built for deported asylum seekers from Britain, which created extra controversy.

'Stop the boats'

A new restrictive bill under the slogan "stop the boats" was proposed by the government, which aims to cut down refugee crossing.

“It’s cheap politics, divisive, and completely contrary to human rights,” Hassan said. “I think that this current government in the UK is essentially scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

Related News

Putin will have to 'come to the table': UK's Starmer

West's support for 'Israel' threatens regional, intl. security: Iran

“This is just going to completely erode any sort of international standing that the UK has when it comes to human rights on the international stage. They don’t have a leg to stand on in terms of their credibility anymore,” Hassan said.

A significant setback for human rights worldwide would take place if the government deports asylum seekers to Rwanda this summer, said Hassan.

Read more: Army bases, disused ferries possible fate of asylum seekers in UK

“What’s going to happen if the UK gets away with the Rwanda deal and that goes forward, is that other countries will follow,” she said. “We’ve already heard whispers of this – people who are going to conservative governments like Hungary, like Poland, like Italy, saying this is a model that can’t be replicated … It’s a very slippery slope.”

“It’s always coined as the rise of autocracy against democracy,” she said. “But it doesn’t always have to be about the rise of autocracy. It can actually just be a couple of pages out of the autocrat’s handbook that gets passed around.”

The model of intercepting refugee boats and deporting asylum seekers to offshore camps was pioneered by Australia, and the country’s former Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, has advised UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on immigration policy.

Hassan pointed out that Australia was not really expected to stand up on human rights issues as its "domestic record was so poor."

Hassan's predecessor Kenneth Roth made news in January after he was refused a Harvard fellowship due to his past criticisms of "Israel's" human rights record. 

The incumbent HRW head insisted that the incident would not influence HRW in any way and in its approach to monitoring human rights in Palestine and "Israel".

“We consistently report on the abuses that come up. We don’t take sides,” she claimed. “Our job is to establish an independent narrative, to assess it against international law, and make recommendations to governments to do something about it. We do that on Israel-Palestine the same way we do any other country in the world.”

Read next: Discrimination against foreigners trying to flee Ukraine: HRW

  • UK Prime Minister
  • Britain
  • asylum seekers
  • UK
  • United Kingdom
  • Rwanda
  • Immigration Policies
  • immigrants

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS