The Council of Europe calls on the United Kingdom not to deport migrants to Rwanda

Madrid, April 23 (European Press) –

On Tuesday, the Council of Europe expressed its concern about the law passed by the British House of Commons to begin deportations of migrants to Rwanda, and called on the British authorities not to carry out any expulsion, given the possibility of this. It involves violations of human rights and the rule of law.

The Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, Michael O’Flaherty, acknowledged in a statement that managing migration flows is “complex” for any country, but stressed that any action must respect international standards.

He fears that, as written in the law, migrants in need of protection could be expelled from the UK without prior assessment of their asylum claim, while he questions whether there is scope for affected people to seek reparations or justice to be implemented.” “Independent examinations.” In this regard, he pointed out that the European Convention on Human Rights, which was signed by the United Kingdom, guarantees the principle of non-refoulement and the study of possible violations.

O’Flaherty also questioned whether the reform gives British authorities scope to decide whether to adhere to precautionary measures issued by the European Court of Human Rights, when such measures are “binding”. The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has mentioned on several occasions the possibility of non-compliance with rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, which has already stopped “at the extreme” the first attempt at deportation.

For the Commissioner, the law adds to “the growing trend towards the externalization of migration and asylum policy in Europe”, which is a “cause for concern” to the extent that it reduces the rights of refugees.