‘There are state control, security, surveillance structures from the national level down… Political opposition is not tolerated and arbitrary detention, torture and even killings are accepted methods of enforcing control too.”
The email from a Foreign Office official to colleagues in the Home Office in response to Britain’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was disclosed during a court case last week, during which a number of media organisations and potential deportees were attempting to force the government to make public information it wants to keep secret. The court ruled that the majority of passages in internal documents relating to Foreign Office assessments of Rwanda must be released, although a small number could be redacted. The court hearing on the legality of the Rwanda scheme takes place next month.
