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Five judges at Britain’s Supreme Court reported on Wednesday that they had voted “unanimously” in favor of confirming the Court of Appeal ruling that the UK government’s plans to deport refugees to Rwanda are unlawful.
Under the agreement signed in April 2022, Britain will be able to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda, where their cases will be considered by local authorities instead of British authorities. In this way, it is the African state authorities who will decide whether refugees will be granted asylum in Rwanda or whether they will be deported to their countries of origin.
As mentioned Sky NewsA court order from the European Court of Human Rights in June 2022 prevented the first migrant plane from leaving for Rwandan territory. Since then, no flights carrying refugees have departed from the UK to Rwanda.
Robert Reed, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, explained that if the British government’s plans were approved, there would be a real risk that the processing of asylum claims in Rwanda would result in refugees being returned to their countries of origin, potentially putting them at risk. in danger.
As the BBC reported, Reid said: “We accept the Home Secretary’s assertion that the Rwandan government entered into the agreement in good faith.” But he added: “But when we asked whether there were reasonable grounds to believe there was a real risk of refoulement in due course, we concluded that there was a real risk.”
Reid also pointed to the 100% rejection rate for asylum applications from countries in conflict zones, such as Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, where many refugees seeking asylum in the UK come from. He also expressed concern about human rights, political and media freedom in Rwanda.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was upset with the ruling. “This was not the result we wanted, but we have spent the past few months planning for all eventualities and remain fully committed to stopping the boats,” he said in statements reported by local media.
The conservative president added that the Supreme Court confirmed that the principle of sending illegal immigrants to a safe third country is a legal principle, and reiterated that there is an “alternative plan” to move forward with the deportation of illegal immigrants.
In addition, Sunak said his government would implement an “emergency” law to prove that Rwanda is a “safe” country and that deportations are legal, according to the portal. European press.
Sunak said he was ready to introduce laws soon and would appeal any ruling issued by the European Court of Human Rights, based in the French city of Strasbourg. “I will not allow a foreign court to block these flights,” the Prime Minister said.
James Cleverley, who became the new Home Secretary from Monday, commented: “Our partnership with Rwanda, while bold and ambitious, is only one part of the package of measures to stop the boats and tackle illegal migration.”
For his part, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party, Lee Anderson, described the ruling as a “dark day for the British people” and suggested that the government “ignore the laws” and “simply put the planes in the air now and send them to Rwanda.” According to the British Broadcasting Corporation LBC.
For her part, Hema Begum, director of the NGO ActionAid UK, said of the ruling: “Today we breathe a sigh of relief to see this cruel and unworkable plan receive the final judgment it deserves.” “We are aware that legislative steps may be taken in order for the government to restructure the relocation plan to Rwanda. For now, we can only hope that today’s decision will put an end to all harsh deterrence plans and the hostile environment that many migrants continue to face,” he added. .
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