At least 50 migrants detained in the UK ahead of possible deportation to Rwanda have been released on bail, said their lawyers on Wednesday (June 12).

The migrants are being represented by the UK law firm Duncan Lewis, which confirmed the news on their X page on Wednesday.

The firm wrote that the migrants likely received bail because many of them are survivors of torture and trafficking.

The lawyers said in the X statement that the tribunal had "rightly assessed [the clients] not to carry a risk of absconding" and reached the "rational view that removal was not imminent."

The firm said in the X statements that taxpayer money had been "wasted by detaining people in this way" and alleged the detentions had been made for political gain.

The first flights to Rwanda are not due to take off until at least July 24, after Britain holds a general election on July 4.

The opposition Labour party, which is polling ahead of the ruling Conservative party, has said it will scrap the Rwanda policy if it is elected.

"Removal [to Rwanda] was not imminent at the time of detention and certainly not imminent after the Prime Minister’s announcement calling for a general election. The detrimental impact that unnecessary and prolonged detention has had on our vulnerable clients is yet to be fully assessed," the firm wrote.

The British Home Office has refused to confirm the number people it has detained ahead of possible deportation to Rwanda.

Court cases challenge current laws

The "Safety of Rwanda" law passed in April declares Rwanda a safe country, despite a Supreme Court ruling last autumn to the contrary.

Several court cases that challenge the law have been filed since.

Earlier this week, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR told a British court that it was investigating claims that asylum seekers sent to Rwanda might not be safe there.

UNHCR High Commissioner Filippo Grandi also said that Rwanda’s asylum system is still "inadequate" and that Britain was evading its responsibilities by attempting to send people there.

In court, lawyers for the UN said they had evidence of cases and needed time to investigate these allegations further, time which the judge granted.

Laura Dubinsky, a lawyer for the UNHCR, said the agency has obtained evidence of instances of refoulement in Rwanda that have occurred as recently as the current year.

Dubinsky added that UNHCR staff informed British officials last year of "at least seven cases of refoulement" during a meeting in Kigali in December 2023. The Rwandan government have replied, accusing the UN of lying.

'UNHCR is lying' says Rwandan government spokesperson

"UNHCR is lying," said a Rwandan government spokesperson in a statement on Tuesday, reported the news agency Reuters.

"The organization seems intent on presenting fabricated allegations to UK courts about Rwanda’s treatment of asylum seekers, while still partnering with us to bring African migrants from Libya to safety in Rwanda," the spokesperson said.

The UN does operate relocation programs to Rwanda from countries like Libya: On UNHCR’s website, the international organization states that Rwanda currently hosts 127,000 asylum seekers and refugees.

The UN confirms that it supports the "evacuation of vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers from Libya through the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM), which is located in Gashora."

With Reuters and AFP