Refugee deal: UK, Rwanda have set a 'catastrophic precedent'

A general view of Rwanda's capital Kigali, March 26, 2014. [Reuters]

The UK’s plan to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda – even before their applications have been concluded – may have been halted just in time this time, but the government is still pushing forward with its controversial plans.

Thanks to the European Court of Human Rights, the first British deportation flight of asylum seekers to Rwanda was grounded at the last minute. The court stepped in at the last minute, so to speak, ordering that the asylum seekers in question could not be flown out of the country.