It is a dark day in the United Kingdom as theSafety of Rwanda Billwill soon become law after passing its final stages in parliament yesterday. This will have a devastating impact on human rights and the rule of law, risking the lives of people who came to the UK seeking safety and setting a dangerous global precedent.

The government's new law tries to legislate awaythe factsand declare Rwanda safe to send asylum seekers despite theUK Supreme Court'sNovember 2023 ruling and abundantevidenceto the contrary. The law compels UK courts and civil servants to "conclusively" treat Rwanda as safe, while severely limiting access to appeals and remedies. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that flights will take off in 10 to 12 weeks and reserved 2,200 detention spaces in the UK, amidreportsthat detaining asylum seekers could start within days.

The government's blatant disregard for international obligations and the rule of law has already received international condemnation. The United Nations high commissioner for refugees and UN high commissioner for human rightswarnedof the law's wide-ranging consequences for global responsibility sharing, human rights, andrefugeeprotection. These sentiments were echoed by the Council of Europe commissioner for human rightswhocautionedthat the new law raises "major issues about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law."

This week several UN experts publiclywarnedairlines and aviation authorities that removing asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda, even if the Safety of Rwanda Bill passed, could make them complicit in violating human rights and court orders. The Ministry of Defence hassuggestedthat Royal Airforce planes may be used as commercial airlines facepressurenot to participate.

The UK's efforts to shirk its asylum responsibilities are undermining global responsibility sharing and have not goneunnoticedby other governments, who have told Human Rights Watch that the UK has lost credibility to call upon other states to uphold their obligations towards refugees.

The fight is not over. Legal challenges are expected against individual removals and the law itself. The UK should urgently adopt humane and fair asylum policies, including ensuring people can have their claims heard in the UK and expanding safe routes so people are not forced intodeadlyjourneys.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).