A humiliating setback for the British government. Despite its determination to deport migrants to Rwanda to deter illegal arrivals in the UK, the first flight, scheduled for Tuesday June 14, was canceled following last-minute appeals.
>> United Kingdom: seven questions on the government’s plan to deport migrants to Rwanda
“Last ticket cancelled. NO ONE GOES TO RWANDA”, tweeted the Care4Calais refugee support association which had announced previous cancellations of deportations. Government sources confirmed to Britain’s PA news agency that the planned plane would not take off due to last-minute interventions by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The specially chartered plane for hundreds of thousands of euros remained on the ground, and all the passengers were evacuated from the device which was ready to leave, reports the BBC (in English).
Review of the legality of the bill in July
In a last-minute twist, the ECHR on Tuesday evening stopped the deportation of an Iraqi asylum seeker, taking a provisional emergency measure. A source of relief for associations defending the rights of migrants who consider the government’s project cruel and immoral.
The Strasbourg-based ECHR ruled that the deportation of the Iraqi should be postponed until a British court has considered the legality of the bill, which is expected in July. This is in particular to ensure that migrants can have access to fair procedures in Rwanda and that Rwanda is considered a safe country.
