Amnesty UK letter to Home Office Permanent Secretary on Asylum Policy and Government's Rwanda Strategy

In April 2022, Amnesty UK wrote to the Home Office Permanent Secretary in the immediate aftermath of a Memorandum of Understanding being reached with Rwanda. This was to enable the UK to send people seeking asylum in the UK to Rwanda as a means to cast off all responsibility for them and their asylum claims.

In November 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that this arrangement was not safe. The Government's response was, in December 2023, to make a Treaty with Rwanda to pursue the same ends; and to introduce the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill to prevent UK courts again considering the evidence to determine whether Rwanda is safe.

Accordingly, in January 2024, Amnesty UK wrote again to the Home Office Permanent Secretary concerning these arrangements.