GENEVA: A UN human rights expert has asked the United Kingdom to put an end to plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, claiming that the scheme violates international law.

According to Siobhan Mullally, the UN special rapporteur on trafficking in persons, "there are considerable concerns that the international law principle of non-refoulment may be infringed by forcibly returning asylum seekers to Rwanda," especially women and children.

The Rwanda asylum proposal, which was launched by the UK government in April, is designed to allow asylum seekers who cross the Channel to the UK a one-way ticket to Rwanda to claim refuge there instead.

The first flight carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda was cancelled earlier this week after a last-minute intervention by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) resulted in new legal challenges in the United Kingdom.

The UN special envoy on human trafficking applauded the ECHR's urgent temporary steps, claiming that moving asylum seekers to third nations did little to prevent or combat the crime.

"In reality, it's more likely to force desperate people into more risky and deadly situations." Mullally expressed her concern that the agreement fails to protect the rights of asylum seekers who have been victims of human trafficking and are seeking refuge in the United Kingdom.

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