UK must comply with Rwanda injunctions, says European body

London, January 25

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The president of Europe’s Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday said Britain had a legal obligation to comply with its injunctions after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he would ignore such orders over his plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Under the scheme, asylum seekers who reach England’s southern coast in small boats would be sent to the East African nation. However, in June 2022, the ECHR issued a last-minute injunction — known as interim measures under Rule 39 — to prevent the first deportations.

The UK apex court recently ruled that the policy was unlawful because of failings in the Rwandan system. To overcome this, a Bill is going through the parliament to declare Rwanda safe and give ministers power to decide whether to enforce ECHR injunctions. “There is a legal obligation under the convention for states to comply with Rule 39 measures,” ECHR president Siofra O’Leary said in Strasbourg. — Reuters