“It’s a nameless infamy”, reacts Amnesty International France

The British Parliament has adopted a text providing for money to be paid to Rwanda, in exchange for welcoming asylum seekers who entered illegally.

The bill adopted by the British Parliament regulates the expulsion of migrants to Rwanda. The text provides for the payment of a significant amount of money to Rwanda in exchange for welcoming asylum seekers who entered the United Kingdom illegally. “It’s a nameless infamy”reacted Tuesday April 23 on franceinfo Jean-Claude Samouiller, president of Amnesty International France.

At the same time, migrants continue to attempt to cross the Channel to Great Britain. At least five migrants, including a four-year-old child, died during an attempt to cross the Channel near Wimereux beach (Pas-de-Calais) during the night from Monday to Tuesday: “We can clearly see that these people have no other solution than to flee their country”he reacted.

Migrant aid associations have strongly criticized the British bill. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said he would “against the fundamental principles of human rights”. Amnesty International France judges this text “hypocritical”because according to him, “it is based on a lie, that of considering Rwanda as a safe country for human rights.”

A “failing” asylum system in Rwanda

Amnesty International has documented that in Rwanda, “there are cases of arbitrary detention, cases of torture, cases of repression for freedom of expression, for freedom to demonstrate”, he explained. According to him, “the asylum system is so broken” in Rwanda that there is “the risk of illegal dismissals is really unbearable”he believes.

Jean-Claude Samouiller does not think that this law will have a negative effect: “People who flee their country and persecution have no other choice but to flee their country of origin where they are persecuted for their race, their belonging to a minority, their sexual orientation. We do not migrate for our pleasure”he explains.