Council of Europe Criticizes UK's Rwanda Bill: Grave Concerns over Asylum Seekers' Human Rights and Rule of Law

The Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, Michael O'Flaherty, has criticized the UK's Rwanda asylum policy, which passed parliamentary stages on Monday night and is expected to be signed into law on Tuesday.

O'Flaherty expressed grave concerns about the bill, stating that it raises major issues regarding the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law.

He is concerned that the policy allows for the removal of asylum seekers to Rwanda without prior assessment of their claims by UK authorities and significantly limits the ability of UK courts to independently scrutinize these cases.

The UK is still part of the European human rights organization and is forbidden from indirectly subjecting people to persecution under various international laws, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the Refugee Convention.

Boris Johnson's government plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda within the next few weeks, but this may violate these laws.

The prime minister claims this will be a significant shift in global migration policy.

A Home Office minister acknowledged that the UK government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing would face legal challenges.

The minister expressed that there are individuals who are committed to preventing the policy from being implemented.