UN experts urge UK airlines, aviation authorities to not facilitate unlawful removals to Rwanda

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UN experts on Monday expressed concern about the role of airlines and aviation authorities in facilitating "unlawful removals" to Rwanda under agreement between the governments of UK and Rwanda, and the Safety of Rwanda Bill.

"Even if the UK-Rwanda agreement and the ‘Safety of Rwanda’ Bill are approved, airlines and aviation regulators could be complicit in violating internationally protected human rights and court orders by facilitating removals to Rwanda," the experts said in a statement.

They warned that removing asylum-seekers to Rwanda or any other country where they would be at risk of "refoulement" would "violate the right to be free from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment."

According to the experts, the airlines and aviation authorities that give effect to state decisions that "violate human rights" must be held responsible for their conduct.

"As the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights underline, aviation regulators, international organizations, and business actors are required to respect human rights," they said.

The UK's House of Commons last week once again rejected a House of Lords' attempt to amend the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which allows illegal arrivals into Britain to be deported to the East African country.