UK's Rwanda asylum seeker deportation plan 'unlawful'
The British government's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful, London's Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday in a judgment that gives a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to stop migrants from arriving on small boats.  The three senior appeal court judges ruled, by a majority, that Rwanda could not be treated as a safe third country.  Judge Ian Burnett said the majority found "the deficiencies in the asylum system in Rwanda are such that there are substantial grounds for believing that there is a real risk that persons sent to Rwanda will be returned to their home countries where they face persecution and other inhumane treatment". Under a deal struck last year, Britain's government plans to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers who arrive on its shores more than 6,400 km to the East African country.  The first planned deportation flight was blocked a year ago in a last-minute ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, which imposed an injunction preventing any deportations until the conclusion of legal action in Britain.  In December, the High Court ruled the policy was lawful, but that decision was challenged by asylum seekers from several countries along with human rights organisations. (Reuters)