Planned flight carrying asylum seekers from UK to Rwanda halted
Britain must stop controversial deportation flight to Rwanda
At the last minute, the British government had to halt an deportation flight to Rwanda following the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights. Strasbourg’s court saw “a real risk of irreversible damage” for those affected.
Shock to Boris Johnson’s new asylum policy: Rwanda’s first deportation flight for asylum seekers has been halted due to legal objections. The European Court of Human Rights intervened.
DHe had first planned a deportation flight from Great Britain to Rwanda with asylum seekers of various nationalities, which was halted by a court shortly before departure. This was confirmed by the British Home Office BBCAfter thwarting the plans of the British government with a rare intervention by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. There is “a real risk of irreparable harm” to the asylum seekers concerned, the court found.
Due to legal objections, flight tickets of the last remaining asylum seekers were cancelled, the organization explained. Care4Calais on Twitter, Originally, 130 deportees were targeted. In the end, the British authorities booked 31 tickets. According to Care4Calais, these tickets were gradually canceled due to pending legal decisions.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Tuesday: “I cannot say how many people will be on board, when only a handful of deportations were planned.” “The really important thing is that we introduce the theory.” A little later, however, the European Court of Human Rights also intervened – and has now apparently reversed the entire action.
The court initially asked Great Britain not to take an Iraqi asylum seeker to Rwanda for some time. The court’s decision was made on Tuesday evening, shortly before the man was to be taken to the East African country along with others.
All others associated with Misal then sued in British courts and the flight was halted.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was “disappointed” but not disappointed. The next deportation flight is already being prepared.
The British court allowed the government to proceed
In a so-called interim measure, the court asked the British authorities to take the men out of the country no earlier than three weeks following the final decision in ongoing proceedings in Great Britain. The court should be informed of the final decision. According to the court, interim measures are binding and apply only very rarely and when there is an imminent risk of irreparable harm.
A British court in London had previously ruled that the flight could take off as scheduled – but announced it would review the new law again. If this is not legal, affected people can return to Great Britain from Rwanda.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted he would not deviate from his new asylum plan. It was always clear to him that its implementation would involve a long road with many legal hurdles.
Britain has signed a deal with Rwanda to crack down on irregular migration. People entering the UK illegally, regardless of their nationality or origin, must be brought into the country, and given the opportunity to apply for asylum there. Even if they are recognized as refugees there, there should never be a return to Great Britain. The United Nations sees this as a violation of international law and a dangerous precedent.
The European Court of Human Rights, located in Strasbourg, France, is part of the Council of Europe. Bodies independent of the European Union work together to protect human rights in the 46 member states.
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