(Reuters) – British Home Secretary Priti Patel has called the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECHR) decision to block deportations of asylum seekers to Rwanda “outrageous”, reports the Telegraph on Friday.
“The opaque way in which this court has used is scandalous,” she said, according to the British newspaper.
As part of a “partnership” concluded in April between London and Kigali, anyone who arrived illegally in Britain since January 1 could be relocated to Rwanda.
The ECHR intervened at the last minute, grounding the first flight to transport asylum seekers from Britain to Rwanda which was due to take off on Tuesday evening.
The government says this deportation strategy is necessary to stem the flow of migrants crossing the Channel and to dismantle smuggling networks.
Human rights groups say the policy will put asylum seekers at risk. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said Rwanda lacked the capacity to process applications, and there was a risk that some migrants could be sent back to the countries they had fled.
(Report Mrinmay Dey; French version Camille Raynaud)
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