London [UK], June 29 : In a major blow to the UK government, the Appeals Court on Thursday, ruled the government's plan to deport some asylum-seekers to Rwanda as "unlawful", CNN reported.
In a three-judge decision, the Court of Appeals overturned a High Court decision that previously ruled that Rwanda could be considered a safe third country to send refugees.
"By a majority, this court allows the appeal on the issue of whether Rwanda is a safe third country. It unanimously dismisses the other grounds," the ruling stated.
Notably, this decision was already under scanner after being condemned by several humanitarian bodies.
Reacting to the ruling, the UK government said that it will appeal to the Supreme Court against the decision of the Appeals Court.
UK PM Rishi Sunak said that Rwanda is a "safe country" and the Rwandan government has provided the necessary assurances.
He also said that the UK government will deice who comes into the country and not the "criminal gangs".
"While I respect the court I fundamentally disagree with their conclusions. I strongly believe the Rwandan government have provided the assurances necessary to ensure there is no real risk that asylum-seekers relocated under the Rwanda policy would be wrongly returned to third countries something that the Lord Chief Justice agrees with," Rishi Sunak said in a statement.
He added, "Rwanda is a safe country. The High Court agreed. The UNHCR have their own refugee scheme for Libyan refugees in Rwanda. We will now seek permission to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court. The policy of this government is very simple, it is this country and your government who should decide who comes here, not criminal gangs. And I will do whatever is necessary to make that happen".
Under the scheme proposed by the Conservative government, asylum-seekers deemed to have arrived in the UK illegally would be deported to the African nation, CNN reported.
The judgment summary of the court's ruling stated that sending asylum-seekers to Rwanda would breach the European Convention on Human Rights.
The statement added that the court's decision "implies no view whatever about the political merits or otherwise of the Rwanda policy."
Notably, British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been a key proponent of the scheme, in a bid to crack down on undocumented migrants entering the UK, CNN reported.
The government had said that the program is aimed at blocking people-smuggling networks and preventing migrants from making the treacherous sea journey across the Channel to England from France.
The ruling was welcomed widely by the human rights campaigners who had earlier slammed the Rwanda policy as unethical and ineffective.
"This is a HUGE win. The UK wants hope not hostility," tweeted Together with Refugees, a coalition of charities promoting asylum-seekers' rights.
Notably, the number of undocumented people entering Europe has spiralled this year due to conflict, global inequality and the climate crisis, exacerbating a migrant crisis across the continent.
More than 36,000 people crossed the Mediterranean from January to March this year, nearly twice the number in the same period in 2022, CNN reported citing the figures from the UN's refugee agency.
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