The treaty provides that people relocated to Rwanda will not be returned to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened (refoulement), Home secretary James Cleverly said.
It provides for an additional appeal body in Rwanda and allows for confidential complaints to be made directly to a monitoring committee. Law Society president Nick Emmerson said: ‘It remains unclear how this new treaty overcomes the ruling made by the highest court in the UK. The Supreme Court’s finding in this case was on a point of fact, based on a core and well-established principle of international law.
That fact is that Rwanda is not considered a safe country given the high risk of refoulement of asylum seekers. Neither a treaty nor domestic legislation can overnight provide adequate means of safeguarding the rights of people removed to Rwanda.’
