Rwanda claims that in the British asylum policy case, the UN refugee agency is lying

When the U.N. refugee agency argued in a British court this week that asylum seekers deported to Rwanda could be sent on again to other governments where they might face torture or death, Rwanda claimed the agency had lied.

As part of a challenge to the British government’s policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, attorneys representing the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) informed the court on Monday that the country’s asylum system was insufficient.

The attorneys said that sending asylum seekers to Rwanda would expose them to the risk of being transferred again through the illegal practice of refoulement. They based their argument on prior findings, which were a major factor in the UK Supreme Court’s decision to declare the British plan illegal last year.

The spokesperson for Rwanda’s government said in a statement late on Tuesday that the UNHCR was lying.

“The organization seems intent on presenting fabricated allegations to U.K. courts about Rwanda’s treatment of asylum seekers, while still partnering with us to bring African migrants from Libya to safety in Rwanda,” a spokeswoman said.

A UNHCR representative in Rwanda stated she was unable to respond at this time.

The UNHCR lawyers brought up cases in court, according to Rwanda’s government, involving individuals who entered the country with legal status in another country but did not meet entrance standards, as well as those who left Rwanda willingly.

Last week, the United Kingdom said that the first flight to Rwanda would depart on July 24. However, this was contingent upon the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Conservatives winning the July 4 national elections.

That seems improbable given that the opposition Labour Party in Britain, which is now ahead in opinion polls by almost 20 points, has promised to abandon the idea if it is elected.