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Denmark: Deal to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda is 'new low'

Refugees from Syria
Refugees from Syria © Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Amnesty supporters write to Danish Minister of Immigration and Integration to oppose move

Responding to news that the Danish authorities have signed an agreement with the Rwandan government to potentially send people seeking asylum to Rwanda for “processing”, Nils Muižnieks, Europe Director at Amnesty International, said:

“These proposals show that Denmark is shifting their responsibility to protect refugees - it is a new low.

“The idea that rich countries can pay their way out of their international obligations, stripping people seeking asylum of their right to even have their claims considered in Denmark, is deeply worrying.”

Asylum applications at 20-year low

Last year, Denmark received just over 1,500 applications for asylum - the lowest number for 20 years.

Amnesty is inviting supporters around the world to write to the Danish Minister of Immigration and Integration, Mattias Tesfaye, calling for the ongoing protection of Syrian refugees in Denmark: www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur18/4010/2021/en/

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