Ministers seeking to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda received a letter from an official from theMinistry of Foreign Affairs in Kigali. The government "uses arbitrary detention, torture, and even killings to suppress political dissent," the High Court said.
Pretty Patel} The Home Office is currently embroiled in a legal dispute over the legality of a hotly contested asylum policy, ahead of a legal battle next month – Foreign Minister Liz Truss 16} this week asked that certain documents related to the government's plans remain confidential.
Contested extracts summarizing the situation in Rwanda were published It relates to comments by an unnamed foreign ministry official tasked with reviewing Home Office documents about their controversial policies.
The area was revealed in the High Court on Tuesday. officials who had some expertise in Rwanda expressed concern about the tone of the Home Office's "National Policy and Information Memorandum" on Rwanda, and whether it was accurate. It represents the situation in East African countries.
Less than two weeks after Boris Johnsonannounced the government's deportation plan, his report on the new draft, sent to colleagues on 26 April, In a cover email containing comments, officials reportedly called "accepted methods for enforcing controls" in Rwanda.
In an e-mail excerpt read out at the High Court on Tuesday, he wrote: Political opposition is unacceptable, and arbitrary detention, torture, and even killing are accepted methods of tightening control.
This email was sent weeks before the government announced its first deportation flight, whichwas blocked from taking off on 14 June Europe. From doing so until legal challenges in the UK were resolved after a dramatic intervention in which the Human Rights Court thwarted the government.
This challenge over the legitimacy of the policy was brought by a number of groups, including the PCS union (representing some Home Office officials), the charities Care4Calais and Detention Action. Forced repatriation flight.
Ahead of his final five-day High Court confrontation beginning Sept. 5, the government this week asked 11 excerpts of Foreign Office officials' comments to be removed from the public his domain. rice field. Multiple media organizations, as well as charities and litigious individuals.
At Tuesday's hearing, government lawyers argued that publishing redacted extracts "could cause very serious harm" to international relations and national security.
Government representative Neil Sheldon QC said in a written submission that the material compiled "contains expressions of opinion of a general nature", adding: -Referred to this particular individual's opinion.
The barrister argued that the Home Office had already provided "a significant body of evidence addressing the government's critical views of the Rwandan government."
However, the government Christopher Knight, who represents a group challenging the Rwandan government, said it was important for the court to determine whether the UK's edits to the Rwandan government "substantially exceed or differ from public criticism". – Read excerpts on torture and killings to court. In the evidence, it said that disclosing the full document would cause "primarily, but not exclusively" serious harm to the British government.Relations with the Rwandan government.
The minister said sharing the extract would also harm national security. Combat the activities of criminal gangs involved in illegal immigration.”
However, Knight argued that it was "impossible" to include in the compilation anything that could compromise national security in relation to Ukrainian aid.
Judge Lewis said he hopes to make a decision on the Home Office's bid by Wednesday afternoon.
At a public hearing last month,court papers stated that Rwanda,, was initially excluded from the list of potential partner countries for [Ms Patel's] proposed immigration policy. It was shown that
They also indicated that the British High Commissioner for Rwanda had warned last February that the country "should not be pursued as a planned immigration policy option". We will carry out armed operations in neighboring countries.”
Additional report by PA
