The reason for the withdrawal is the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights.
Britain’s first flight to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda in Central Africa was canceled just minutes before departure. The European Court of Human Rights (EIT) ruled before the flight that the plane could not leave.
British newspaper The Guardian (switch to another service) writes that the situation appears to have no opportunity for the country’s ministry to appeal the decision. British Broadcasting Corporation BBC (switch to another service)writes that the EIT ‘s decision on the flight does not mean that the country’ s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has been dug up, but that the whole policy will be dealt with in court.
Deputy Director of the Detention Action Human Rights Organization James Wilson described the decision as historic, according to the Guardian. According to him, the decision shows how dangerous it would be for the British government to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda.
– It (the EIT) rarely interferes in the legal affairs of its Member States.
– The EIT has shown that no one should be forced on a plane until the (British) Supreme Court addresses our opposition to the agreement next month.
Minister of the Interior Priti Patel He said he was disappointed with the EIT ‘s decision and that preparations for the next flight were now under way. Representative of the Government of Rwanda Yolande Makolo said the country is committed to making the arrangement work.
According to the BBC, a British Supreme Court judge ruled last week that the government’s activities in Rwanda should be seen as a whole, but the country’s Home Secretary Patel will act legally if he sends asylum seekers to Rwanda in the meantime.
The flight was originally scheduled to carry 130 people, but the flight scheduled for Tuesday night was eventually to have seven asylum seekers.
The price of the flight is hundreds of thousands
The Guardian says a government source has confirmed that the flight cost half a million pounds (over € 575,000) and has already been paid for out of public funds. The government has not opened legal fees or prices for future flights or Rwandan accommodation, according to the newspaper.
The government has already paid an advance payment of £ 120 million to Rwanda for an agreement to house some of Britain’s asylum seekers.
The British opposition and NGOs, among others, have previously criticized the plan as inhumane. Critics have pointed out, among other things, that the accommodation of people seeking asylum in Rwanda, which has committed human rights abuses, is questionable.
For example, human rights organization Amnesty said the plan is shockingly ill-conceived. According to the organization, the plan will increase the suffering and will also return large amounts of public funds.