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Protestors gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice and the Home Office demanding to end the British government’s deportation policy on June 13, 2022. Photo: Nick Dearden/Twitter
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The British Court of Appeal on Monday rejected a last-ditch attempt to block the first flight carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda, a plan that has been slapped by UN refugee agency and human rights organizations.
The British High Court on Friday refused to grant a temporary injunction to stop the flight and the Court of Appeal on Monday upheld the decision, reported BBC.
Thirty one migrants were scheduled to be sent out to Rwanda but a UK-based charity late Monday said 24 of them had their tickets canceled. Those due to be on the flight include Iraqis, Iranians, Albanians, and Syrians.
The plane is set to depart later on Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the Rwanda plan in April in a bid to deter illegal migrants from undertaking perilous crossing of the English Channel by small boats run by smugglers.
The UK delivered an up-front payment for the African nation of about $157 million to help pay for resettlement and integration of the asylum seekers.
“We cannot allow people traffickers to put lives at risk and our world leading partnership will help break the business model of these ruthless criminals,” Johnson wrote on Twitter on Friday.
The number of refugees crossing the Channel hit a spike this year where over 10,000 people traveled across the water.
The UN refugee chief on Monday slammed the deal, saying “we believe this is all wrong … for so many reasons.”
"The UK says... we do this to save people from dangerous journeys. Let me doubt that a little bit," Filippo Grandi told reporters. "Saving people from dangerous journeys is great, is absolutely great. But is that the right way to do it?" he asked. "I don't think so."
Protestors also gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice and the Home Office demanding to end the British government’s deportation policy.
Just arrived at the immigration removal centre in Gatwick to say #StopRwandaFlight. Many people here showing solidarity with the refugees being imprisoned and protesting this horrific deportation policy. pic.twitter.com/C6jZ7I5NBu
— Nick Dearden (@nickdearden75) June 12, 2022
Human Rights Watch on Saturday expressed its “grave concern” in a public letter directed to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, warning of the situation in Rwanda.
"To this day, serious human rights abuses continue to occur in Rwanda, including repression of free speech, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and torture.”
However, Patel had described Rwanda as a “safe haven for refugees” a day prior.
“Rwanda is a safe country and has previously been recognised for providing a safe haven for refugees – we will continue preparations for the first flight to Rwanda,” she wrote on Twitter.
Thousands of people from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region left the country in 2021 for Europe. Young people have spoken of leaving the country in search of jobs and opportunities they feel they cannot access at home where unemployment is high and political tensions, corruption, and instability leave them with little hope for their future.
The UK canceled a flight that was set to land in the Kurdistan Region on May 31.
A boat carrying 33 migrants including Kurds, capsized in the English Channel on November 24. One of the survivors told Rudaw English at the time that the incident took place in British territorial waters.
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