Lord Benyon, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL4804):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the government of Rwanda’s apparent refusal to allow staff of Human Rights Watch into the country for (1) UK-Rwanda relations, and (2) the UK-Rwanda asylum partnership. (HL4804)
Tabled on: 21 May 2024
This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer:
- To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make representations to the government of Rwanda about the denial of entry into that country of a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, who is a British citizen, at Kigali airport on 13 May. (HL4803)
Tabled on: 21 May 2024
Answer:
Lord Benyon:
The FCDO recognises the importance of organisations like Human Rights Watch and the work that they do. Our High Commissioner in Rwanda has spoken with the individual concerned and, along with other international partners, discussed the incident with the Rwandan government. The Monitoring Committee, agreed as part of the UK-Rwanda Treaty, will have the power to set its own priority areas for monitoring and have unfettered access for the purposes of completing assessments and reports.
Date and time of answer: 24 May 2024 at 10:54.
