The UNESCO Chair welcomes the unanimous judgement from the Supreme Court on the question of the lawfulness of refoulement in the ‘Rwanda Case’.

Emphasising the duties of States to complying with the laws pertaining to Human Rights, including, domestic law, European law, International law, and the Refugee Convention it has concluded that Rwanda is not honouring its obligations under international treaties to which it is a signatory. Its 100% rejection rate of asylum seekers from conflict zones mean the legal test is not met and there are substantial grounds for believing that asylum seekers are at risk of refoulement in Rwanda.

It is now vital that the new Home Secretary commits to a compassionate, competent, properly resourced and legally competent, asylum system which complies with our domestic, European and international laws and obligations as a signatory state of the Refugee Convention. This policy has caused immense suffering to many and, with the up front payments to Rwanda of £120 million under the former Home Secretary, and the recent additional payments from the last Home Secretary, it has also been grossly, fiscally irresponsible.

To everyone who protested, wrote to their MPs and MSPs, to every single, brave client, to every lawyer who put in hours and hours of pains-taking work, to investigative journalists and UNHCR. Thank you.

This is a moment for committed change, for abandoning the rhetoric and actions under the ideology of deterrent and using the substantial research available that demonstrates what a compassionate and competent asylum system looks like in practice, including the evidence of New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy in Scotland.

First published: 15 November 2023

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