The Council of Europe's human rights commissioner, Michael O'Flaherty, has condemned the UK's Rwanda deportation bill, expressing grave concern over its implications for asylum seekers' rights and the rule of law. The bill, expected to become law on Tuesday, allows the removal of asylum seekers to Rwanda without prior assessment of their claims in most cases, and restricts UK courts' ability to scrutinise the policy.
O'Flaherty warned that the UK is prohibited from subjecting individuals to refoulement under the European Convention on Human Rights and other international instruments. He stated that the bill raises major issues about human rights and judicial independence.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged that flights to Kigali will begin within 10-12 weeks, admitting he missed his spring target. The government expects legal challenges, with Home Office minister Michael Tomlinson acknowledging that there are those determined to stop the policy.
Charities and rights groups condemned the bill as a stain on the UK's moral reputation. The National Audit Office confirmed the deal will cost £1.8 million per deportee for the first 300 individuals. Lawyers are preparing case-by-case challenges, with 350 asylum seekers identified as least likely to succeed in appeals.
