Torture prevention experts condemn UK’s ‘degrading’ and ‘discriminatory’ Rwanda migrant scheme

Experts on torture prevention have condemned the government’s plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda, claiming the scheme is “inherently degrading” and breaches international human rights law.

Just days before the High Court was due to hear the first legal challenge against the policy, leading academics, including two former chairs of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, warned that the process was “inherently incompatible with the UK’s obligations under the Refugee Convention”.

In a letter sent by Bristol University’s Human Rights Implementation Centre to home secretary Priti Patel, they wrote that “the rushed process of initial assessment” before deportation would increase the trauma of those involved.

In April, the home secretary signed what she described as a “world-first agreement” with Rwanda in a bid to deter migrants from crossing the Channel. But the first deportation flight – due to take off on 14 June – was grounded after legal challenges were filed.

Ms Patel is reportedly not expecting to keep her job under the next prime minister, but both of the Tory leadership candidates have expressed support for the Rwanda policy.

Among a series of attacks on the policy, the letter described it as punitive, saying it “discriminates against persons on the grounds of how they arrive in the UK to claim asylum”.

“We consider the punitive and discriminatory basis of the procedure, and the manner in which is it applied, causes significant harm to the mental wellbeing of the individuals at risk of removal,” it said. “It fundamentally fails to provide special protection to them, and poses a significant risk of re-traumatisation of victims of human rights violations, including torture and sexual violence.”

Sonya Sceats, chief executive at Freedom from Torture, said: “Not only does this cruel scheme risk shredding the UK’s international legal duty to protect refugees, it is immoral in the extreme. Every day in our therapy rooms we see the existential fear that the Rwanda deal has generated among the torture survivors who we treat.

“As our witness statement provided to the High Court ahead of Monday’s judicial review notes, the Rwanda policy will put torture survivors at risk of further harm.” Ms Sceats called for the government to scrap the “inhumane cash for humans scheme”.

The home secretary said: “We expected legal challenges to this innovative plan and will be vigorously defending the migration and economic development partnership in the courts. I am proud to be working with the Rwandan government on our world-leading partnership, which will see those arriving via dangerous, illegal and unnecessary routes to the UK considered for relocation to Rwanda, where they will have their cases considered.

“Rwanda remains a safe and secure country with a strong track record of supporting asylum seekers. Those behind these legal challenges have regrettably delayed the implementation of our partnership, and have thus far only succeeded in giving succour to the people-smuggling gangs over the summer, resulting in more people boarding flimsy craft and putting their lives at risk in the Channel.

“The sooner we can deliver this new  policy, the sooner we can break the business model of the evil people-smugglers and prevent further loss of life in the Channel.”