My Lords, I am in favour of the amendments in this group, including that in the name of my noble friend Lord Dubs, who cannot be in his place. I have added my name to those in the name of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Etherton, and I thank him for so powerfully putting the case for the amendments. I too received the letter from the Minister, the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe, and will refer to it in my submission.
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At the same time, I asked LGBT activists in Africa—in neighbouring countries and within Rwanda—for their reflections. The background information is that, in Rwanda, individuals who identify as LGBT+ face marginalisation and stigma. In order to protect themselves from potential physical and verbal harm, they frequently find it necessary to conceal their sexual orientation and gender identity. By that submission, HJ (Iran) immediately comes into play. Despite homosexuality and same-sex acts not being illegal, as referred to in the Minister’s letter, discussing sexual orientation remains a taboo subject in Rwandan society, with little to no open dialogue on the matter. By way of example, months before a planned June 2021 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, authorities rounded
up and detained people regarded as “socially undesirable”, including over a dozen gay and transgender people, sex workers and street children.
The situation now is that the Government have declared their plan to relocate individuals seeking asylum in the UK to Rwanda for the processing of their claims. This policy, in view of those activists in Africa and within Rwanda, will impact LGBTI+ individuals who have escaped life-threatening circumstances in their countries of origin, and in my opinion such treatment would be cruel in the extreme.
There is further evidence from LGBTI activists. Overall, they highlight the complex challenges and dynamics faced by LGBT+ individuals in Rwanda, and emphasise the need for greater awareness and protection. There is evidence of ill treatment and abuse. On the international front, one must rightly recognise that Rwanda is trying to do the right things, but on the ground there is still much more to do around the protection of what is called the queer community.
Despite no formal criminalisation of LGBT+ individuals, there are significant challenges, such as stigma, discrimination and a lack of protection mechanisms in daily life. Discrimination comes mostly from social attitudes, rather than from the authorities in an organised way. Queer LGBT refugees often face societal pressure and discrimination, with instances of anti-LGBT+ groups fuelling violence. While the police generally maintain decent communications with the LGBT+ communities, there are instances of untrained officers exhibiting homophobic, brutal behaviour.
Social discrimination affects various aspects of daily life for LGBT+ individuals, including things that many take for granted, such as housing, employment and social integration, particularly in rural areas and especially for those who come from lower-income communities. Rwandan officials claim that queer refugees should not fear persecution as they do not criminalise them, but societal discrimination does the very job. The activists would like to see provisions in the UK’s Rwanda Bill specifically protecting the vulnerable communities in the country, with a special focus on the LGBT+ community.
I have some direct quotes. One activist said:
“A case that I know is about a person”
who, thankfully, has now been now moved to Europe. They said that
“one day, he faced one of the anti-queer groups. He was beaten one night, and they broke his arm”.
Another said:
“The police as an institution has been open to dialogue and discussions about the challenges faced … However, regarding their actual role in protecting LGBTI+ individuals, there have been mixed experiences. While some have found support and understanding from the police, others”
have faced “arbitrary arrests or discrimination”.
Sadly, there are more quotes I could continue with. My contention, as a member of this social group, is that you cannot live openly as an LGBT person because to do so would mean facing persecution. Therefore, I contend that these amendments should be adopted.
I will now speak briefly to Amendment 41 in the name of my noble friend Lord Dubs. He has concerns, which are shared by members of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group. Here, I refer to my interest as a patron of Humanists UK. Concerns were raised at Second Reading that Rwanda retains its blasphemy law, in violation of the right to freedom of religion or belief. The punishment for blasphemy can result in imprisonment and/or fines, as evidenced by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s Blasphemy Law Compendium. This law may be intended to protect the right to worship, but it is open to misuse, as non-religious beliefs can easily be framed as an insult to religion, as we see in other countries.
Therefore, it is our contention that Rwanda cannot be considered a safe place for those who are non-religious or those belonging to minority religions. They may fall foul of this law simply by expressing their beliefs. This is why my noble friend Lord Dubs has put forward this amendment, to make it clear that those who would be at risk due to their lack of religion, or their minority religion, would fall into the scope of Clause 4. Therefore, on behalf of my noble friend, I put forward this amendment.