Supreme Court resolution allows Sunak government to advance Johnson’s controversial strategy to deter immigrants illegally crossing the Channel
The High Court of England and Wales has upheld the government’s policy to extradite asylum seekers to Rwanda so that they can integrate into the Central African country’s society. Lawyers for the detainees and non-governmental organizations critical of the plan have the right to appeal to another court, in a further step in what is expected to be a lengthy case.
The policy of sending immigrants to Rwanda who enter British territory by bypassing borders to seek asylum was promoted by Boris Johnson’s government. Last April, he signed a memorandum of understanding with the executive chaired by Paul Kagame to send some 1,000 prisoners by British authorities for five years.
The first flight was due to depart in June with seven passengers, but lawyers for the extradited managed to get the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg to delay the shipment as the plan was pending judicial review in the UK. The court’s decision resulted in the lawyers being temporarily banned by British judges.
The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, expressed his frustration at the interference of the European Council court and the failure of a project to curb the trade of immigrants in the English Channel. The court is now upholding the plan because it does not violate international refugee law or UK human rights law.
The magistrates’ argument to defend legality is that London has negotiated a procedure with the government of Kigali for the extradited to seek asylum in an African country that offers guarantees. However, the court requires the executive to carefully analyze the circumstances of eight of those selected for the first shipment because it was not done before June.
A British House of Lords committee scrutinizing government policy pointed out in October the legal fragility of the position of refugees in Rwanda following former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to base the plan on a memorandum of understanding . It is a common instrument of international law but, unlike a treaty, does not provide legal protection.
The United Nations has set up a transit center in Rwanda for migrants trapped in Libya. According to the BBC, some 900 were staying in the reception facilities in April, where they are trained to gain qualifications that will enable them to work in host countries. But the UN has criticized sending asylum seekers to another country and to African countries, which are responsible for the largest number of refugees in the world.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
