The London Court of Appeal declared the controversial deportation agreement with Rwanda illegal.
The British government’s rigid asylum policy is increasingly being resisted. On Thursday, the London Court of Appeal ruled that the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda is illegal. The deportation pact concluded with Rwanda in April 2022 is an important – and very controversial – part of Interior Minister Suella Braverman’s strict asylum policy. It stipulates that migrants who arrive in the country illegally will be deported en masse to the East African country, without even being able to claim asylum. The first deportation flight was stopped at the last minute by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg a year ago, much to the chagrin of the British government.
Meanwhile, refugee organizations and individual asylum seekers have challenged the plan in British courts. First, they lost: In December, the Supreme Court ruled that Rwanda’s program was legal. But on Thursday, the appeal report overturned that ruling.
Setback for the British government
He cites deficiencies in the East African country’s asylum system as the reason: there is a risk that migrants deported to Rwanda will be deported from there to their home country, where they are threatened with political persecution or inhumane treatment. Rwanda is ruled authoritatively by former President Paul Kagame.