The Rwandan government has strongly refuted allegations made in a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), which claims that authorities and their associates are employing violence, legal processes, and intimidation to stifle dissent among Rwandans living abroad, calling the report “bad faith.”
In a 115-page report titled “‘Join Us or Die’: Rwanda’s Extraterritorial Repression,” HRW details a range of tactics it says form a global network of repression aimed at silencing dissent and intimidating critics, including Rwandans seeking international protection. The report alleges that these tactics include physical violence, such as killings and enforced disappearances, surveillance, the misuse of both domestic and international law enforcement, abuses against relatives in Rwanda, and online harassment.
Yasmine Ahmed, UK director for Human Rights Watch, stated, “The Human Rights Watch findings highlight that Rwanda is not a country the UK should rely upon to uphold international standards or the rule of law when it comes to Asylum seekers.” Ahmed added that the British government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is damaging the UK’s international reputation as a defender of human rights.
In April 2022, the UK and Rwandan governments announced an Asylum Partnership Arrangement, under which the UK intended to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing. However, in June, the UK Court of Appeal ruled the asylum deal unlawful because those sent to Rwanda might face the risk of being returned to their home countries, where they could face mistreatment.
HRW highlighted that Rwandans living in the UK, who have received threats against them, have had to take extreme measures for their security, including changing phones frequently. Some fear that the UK-Rwanda Asylum Partnership Arrangement may jeopardize their safety.
In response, Rwanda’s government spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, dismissed HRW’s report, stating that HRW continues to present a distorted picture of Rwanda. She emphasized Rwanda’s progress in advancing the rights and well-being of its citizens over the past 29 years.
Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Vincent Biruta, defended the asylum arrangement, emphasizing the responsibility to prioritize the safety and well-being of migrants, welcoming the partnership with the UK to host asylum seekers and migrants while offering them legal pathways to residence.
