The Court of Appeal has ruled that the UK government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful.
Three senior appeal judges said on Thursday that "unless deficiencies" in Rwanda's asylum system were corrected, "removal of asylum seekers to Rwanda will be unlawful."
Under the scheme proposed by the Conservative government, asylum-seekers deemed to have arrived in the UK illegally would be deported to the African nation.
The three judges agreed with migrants and campaigners who brought the case that the UK government could not guarantee that asylum seekers sent to Rwanda would not be deported to the country from which they were fleeing.
"Sending anyone to Rwanda would constitute a breach of article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights" which states that no one shall be subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, said the judges.
Rwandan reaction
Rwandan government said it remains committed to asylum deal despite the court ruling.
"Rwanda remains fully committed to making this partnership work," government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told AFP news agency.
"While this is ultimately a decision for the UK's judicial system, we do take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe country for asylum seekers and refugees."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak UK says he will appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court.
''While I respect the court, I fundamentally disagree with their conclusion,'' he said in his statement.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought in the proposal to try to tackle record numbers of migrants crossing the Channel from northern France by small boats.
But it triggered a wave of protests from rights groups and charities, while last-gasp legal challenges successfully blocked the first deportation flights last June.
