LONDON: High Court Judges in London on Monday ruled that the United Kingdom (UK) government’s controversial plan for deportation of failed asylum seekers to the Republic of Rwanda was lawful after a legal challenge by campaigners and migrants.
The UK’s former prime minister, Boris Johnson, presented the proposal to try to handle growing trend of migrants crossing the border from northern France by small boats.
But it triggered protests from charities and rights groups, and last-gasp legal challenges successfully avoided the first deportation flights in June.
Several organizations and individuals supporting migrants brought a case at the London High Court for a judicial review of the policy, who claimed the policy was unlawful.
UK high court judgment
The high court judges acknowledged that the issue had caused public debate; however, they remarked that its only remit was “to make sure that the immigrants’ law is properly observed and understood and that the rights guaranteed by parliament are not violated.”
“The high court has concluded that it is lawful for the government to arrange for relocating asylum seekers to the Republic of Rwanda and their asylum claims to be decided in the Republic of Rwanda rather than in the UK,” the court in summary.
“On the evidence before this court, the UK has made arrangements with Rwanda to ensure that the asylum claims of asylum seekers relocated to Rwanda are appropriately decided in Rwanda.
“In those circumstances, the relocation of asylum seekers to the Republic of Rwanda is consistent with the United Nations Refugee Convention and with the legal and statutory obligations on the government of the United Kingdom, including the obligations imposed by the Human Rights Act 1998.”
The court judges, however, said interior minister Suella Braverman had not adequately considered the circumstances of the 8 claimants in the case and referred their cases back to her. – AFP/APP
