United Nations (UN) experts have warned airlines and aviation authorities against 鈥渇acilitating unlawful removals鈥 of asylum seekers from the United Kingdom (UK) to Rwanda.
Siobh谩n Mullally (Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons), Gehad Madi (Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants) and Allice Jill Edwards (Special Rapporteur on torture) said on April 22, 2024, that airlines and aviation authorities 鈥渃ould be complicit in violating internationally protected human rights and court orders鈥 if they assist in removals to Rwanda.聽
On April 22, 2024, a bill was passed in the UK that allows the British government to deport asylum seekers, who arrive in the country on small inflatable boats, to Rwanda.听听
In November 2023, the UK精东影业 ruled that it was unsafe to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, but the new bill allows the government to bypass that decision.聽
According to the BBC, the new legislation orders the courts to ignore key sections of the Human Rights Act which the UN experts have highlighted could cause problems for airlines.
The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on April 22, 2024, that flights to Rwanda will start within 10 to 12 weeks and that commercial charter planes had been booked.
鈥淚f airlines and aviation authorities give effect to State decisions that violate human rights, they must be held responsible for their conduct,鈥 the experts said.
They added: 鈥淎s the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights underline, aviation regulators, international organizations and business actors are required to respect human rights.鈥
According to the experts the UN Guiding Principle 13 鈥減rohibits companies from contributing to human rights abuses鈥 and UN Guiding Principle 23 requires 鈥渂usinesses to comply with all applicable laws, respect internationally recognized human rights, and treat the risk of contributing to gross human rights abuses as a compliance issue wherever they operate鈥.
The UN experts have been in contact with the UK government, as well as national, European and international aviation regulators, including the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and international actors, including the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to express their concerns and remind them of their responsibilities.聽
