Supreme Court rules: British asylum treaty with Rwanda is unlawful

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The High Court in London on Wednesday declared Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan unlawful and upheld a June Court of Appeal ruling. The Supreme Court emphasized that there is a risk that asylum seekers in the East African country will not receive a fair procedure and cited, among other things, reports from the UN refugee organization UNHCR.

The ruling is a further setback for the conservative government. With the Rwanda plan, for which an agreement was reached with the East African country, she wanted to prevent migrants from illegally entering the country in small boats across the English Channel.

Last year, more than 45,000 people came to Britain in this way. The number this year is lower than last year at about 27,000 so far. But the government’s promise to stop the boats has not yet been fulfilled.

According to the plan, irregular migrants should in future be deported directly to Rwanda without examining an asylum application and seeking protection there. A return to Britain must be ruled out. The plan met with fierce criticism at home and abroad.

The United Nations refugee agency condemned the action as a violation of international law. The English bishops spoke of a “disgrace to Great Britain”.

The government’s defeat in court is likely to lead to renewed calls within the conservative ruling party for Britain to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

It was the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg that at the last minute stopped the only planned flight with asylum seekers to Rwanda with a temporary injunction.

(SDA)

Source: Blick