I was among the few who publicly disapproved of the scheme, but I could only do so on social media and in foreign publications and channels, as local media would not dare give me the platform, says former opposition leader, Victoire Ingabire in the
Guardian this morning.
The policy should be opposed on the basis of the facts. Rwanda is not a free country because political rights are restricted and civil liberties are curbed. Moreover, it remains among the poorest and
least developed countries in the world and the
most unequal country in the east of Africa region. Anyone transferred to Rwanda will not be offered a real solution because of these constraints. In fact, because of its social and economic conditions, Rwanda also
produces refugees.
I have paid and continue to pay a heavy price for expressing views that challenge the narrative of the government in Rwanda. In 2010, I returned to the country from exile in the Netherlands. I was immediately arrested after openly challenging its reconciliation policy in relation to the 1994 genocide. The then-UK parliamentary under secretary of state for Africa, Henry Bellingham,
declared that I was arrested on trumped-up charges. I was sentenced to
15 years’ imprisonment by Rwanda’s supreme court.
My story and those of others who have been harassed, jailed, forced into exile or worse for challenging the government are tangible evidence of a lack of respect for human rights in Rwanda.
The UK already knew about the human rights situation, which has recently been flagged by its highest court. It cannot be simply solved by passing a bill that declares Rwanda a safe country, only by tackling the real issues that make it an unsafe country. Any attempts to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda must be stopped until the UK has supported the country to improve.