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British justice ruled against a policy of sending to Rwanda immigrants arriving irregularly in Great Britain, promoted by the conservative government of Rishi Sunak. According to the London Court of Appeals ruling, Rwanda is “not a safe third country” to refer these people to.

With this decision, the court accepted the appeals filed by asylum seekers and civil society organizations against other decisions that gave the green light to this plan. The new opinion, supported by two of the three judges composing the court, concluded that deportation to Rwanda “is illegal” until the country “corrects deficiencies in its asylum process.” Meanwhile, these deficiencies pose a “real risk” that asylum claims are not properly processed and asylum seekers could be returned to their countries of origin, where they could face persecution, the court concluded.

Despite the sentence, Sunak’s conservative government maintains that it remains “fully committed” to its plan and will appeal the decision. In a statement, Interior Minister Suella Braverman said that “the British people want to stop the arrival of the ships [con refugiados] and this government too.

The Prime Minister also disagreed with the decision. “I firmly believe that the government of Rwanda has provided the necessary guarantees to ensure that there is no real risk that asylum seekers relocated under Rwandan policy will be returned incorrectly to a third country,” Sunak said on Twitter. The leader added: “The policy of this government is very simple: it is the country that decides who comes here, not criminal gangs.”

The Rwandan government also reaffirmed its commitment to the plan. “Rwanda is one of the safest countries in the world and we have been recognized by UNHCR [Agencia de Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados] and other international agencies for our exemplary treatment of refugees,” he added in a statement.

As Efe recalls, the UK and Rwanda signed an agreement in April 2022 to implement this plan over five years, under which most immigrants arriving irregularly in British territory would be transferred to the latter country. Rwanda will process their asylum application and the UK will bear their costs. In addition, it will contribute 120 million pounds, about 138 million euros, to Rwanda’s development fund. The first flights with immigrants bound for the country were suspended on 14 June 2022 by a decision of the European Court of Human Rights.

For the opposition Labor Party, the government’s plan was “inappropriate” and “unethical”. Organizations that protect refugees and defend human rights are also against this initiative. UK Migration Adviser to Doctors Without Borders, Sophie McCann, said: “The government’s callous plan to forcibly and permanently transfer men, women and children seeking safety to Rwanda would pose serious and irreparable harm to the health, well-being and dignity of they”. He noted that the organization’s mental health team had seen “disastrous consequences” from similar policies implemented by Australia.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International’s UK spokesperson, Sacha Deshmukh, called for abandoning the initiative “before further damage is done to the UK’s international reputation” or “to those affected”.