Four Rwandans were granted refugee status in the UK over “well-founded” fears of persecution at the same time as the government was arguing in court and parliament that the east African country was a safe place to send asylum seekers.
An investigation by the Observer and the campaign group Led by Donkeys reveals for the first time details of Home Office decisions on Rwandans who have been given asylum in the past four months, claiming they were at risk from the regime.
The documents raise fresh questions over prime minister Rishi Sunak’s claim that Rwanda is “unequivocally” safe for asylum seekers.
They are revealed ahead of this week’s debate in the House of Lords over the proposed new Rwanda bill, which aims to prevent legal challenges to transporting asylum seekers to the African state.
The Conservative government wants to send all asylum seekers who enter the UK across the Channel on small boats to Rwanda, arguing it would act as a deterrent. The supreme court last year ruled that Rwanda was unsafe, leading Sunak to introduce new legislation which, he argues, allays those concerns.
The investigation has also seen details of a dossier compiled by a western intelligence agency that accused Rwanda of orchestrating a dirty tricks campaign to smear and undermine critics including those based in the UK. It is further claimed that a London PR firm set up social media accounts to target a British author, but the company has denied this.
One of the Rwandans was granted asylum by the Home Office on 12 October, the day after the government concluded a case in the supreme court arguing the country was safe.
The refugee was a supporter of an opposition party led by Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, who is campaigning for justice for colleagues who have been killed or disappeared. The Rwandan also witnessed alleged atrocities committed by president Paul Kagame’s forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He and his wife were granted asylum with the Home Office stating in a letter: “We accept that you have a well-founded fear of persecution and therefore cannot return to your country Rwanda, and we have recognised that you are a refugee under the 1951 Refugee Convention.”
The refugee, who still fears for his safety, said: “Britain should stop pretending this is a safe place. Find some other excuse for sending people to Rwanda but don’t say it’s because the place is ‘safe’, because that’s just insulting to people like me.”
Another Rwandan refugee who has spoken on the grounds of anonymity said he sought refuge in the UK because he feared he would be targeted by the regime over a family member’s suspected links to the opposition.
A Home Office decision letter dated 17 October 2023 accepted he had a “well-founded fear of persecution”. The Rwandan said refugees sent to his country would be safe if they keep their head down and did not criticise the government, but if they started speaking out they would get into trouble.
He said: “If that were to happen in Rwanda, then you’re treading a very fine line. Anything can happen to you. It doesn’t really take much in Rwanda. Even the mere suspicion of being sympathetic to the opposition is enough. People have died for much, much less, they have been imprisoned for much, much less.”
Another asylum seeker from the African state was a woman who was being forced by the regime to work for the Rwandan intelligence. She was granted asylum on 24 November, according to information by Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, an organisation supporting people subject to immigration control.
All four cases were given asylum on application to the Home Office, without need to go to tribunal.
Ali Abdulkarim, who is vice-chairman of the opposition Rwanda National Congress party and lives in London, said: “The fact that these Rwandans are still being granted asylum in the UK shows the Rwanda bill for what it is. It’s politically motivated. There may be a semblance of order, or rule of law [in Rwanda], but it’s a dictatorship and there’s no safety for the people living there.”
The details of the four cases obtained by the Observer and Led By Donkeys are in addition to six Rwandans who Home Office figures suggest were granted asylum in the UK between April 2022 when the policy was first announced and September 2023.
In November, the supreme court ruled the government’s original Rwanda plan was unlawful as refugees could face the risk of being returned to their home country. It also cited concerns about Rwanda’s poor human rights record.
The judgment included a reference to Rwandan police shooting and killing 12 refugees at a protest over cuts to food rations in 2018. The judgment noted Rwanda has made “great progress economically and socially” and is an important partner of the UK.
The UK signed a new treaty with Rwanda last month to ensure people sent there are not returned to their home countries. It also says asylum seekers removed to the country will be monitored by an independent committee. The new Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) bill asserts Rwanda is safe for the purpose of removing individuals to the country and it will comply with the new treaty.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “People from many different nationalities apply for asylum in the UK. This includes nationals from some of our closest European neighbours and other safe countries around the world.
“As part of our response to the supreme court’s judgment, we have signed a treaty with Rwanda which makes clear that individuals relocated to Rwanda under the partnership will not be returned to an unsafe country.”
The Home Office says Rwanda has a track record of welcoming asylum seekers and looking after refugees and the supreme court recognised changes could be made to make its partnership with Rwanda work. A home office spokesperson said the department did not comment on specific cases.
The High Commission of Rwanda did not respond to a request for comment.
