Cape Town — A plan by Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government to send thousands of Rwandan migrants back home as part of a U.S.$174 million deal agreed upon in 2022 has been deemed unlawful by their lawyers, The East African reports.
The deal was made to discourage record numbers of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel from France – an issue Sunak has prioritised in the wake of pressure from conservative lawmakers and the British public.
An injunction imposed by the European Court of Human Rights blocked the first flight to Rwanda in June 2022 and prevented further deportations pending the conclusion of legal findings. The high court in London determined that the action was lawful. However, several human rights organisations, along with asylum seekers from nations including Syria, Vietnam and Iraq, have challenged the ruling, with lawyers for Rwandan nationals saying that the conclusion that Rwanda is “safe” is incorrect.
Additionally, The Guardian reports that an open letter signed by over 830 UK health professionals and representatives from leading medical bodies cautioned that the deportations to Rwanda would cause “catastrophic mental and physical harm” to people seeking safety. “Subjecting people seeking sanctuary in the UK – many of whom have mental health conditions and have histories of torture, trafficking and trauma – to such an inhumane process, is a matter of significant concern for the medical community,” the letter reads.
