A court has overturned a ban on people living on the outer Chagos Islands. This now jeopardises Keir Starmer’s unpopular Treaty to surrender the Chagos islands to Mauritius, which in turn forces the Ministry of Defence to pay up to £48billion to lease the base at Diego Garcia back on behalf of the American military.
In February, Chagossians, landed on Ile Du Coin, an uninhabited outer island which is 135 south of Diego Garcia. The audacious operation was planned by former special forces officer and Conservative MP Adam Holloway. They were ordered to leave by the British Government, and four members of the group took legal action against the commissioner of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
It was argued that a 2004 law by the Labour Government, removing the right of Chagossians to enter and remain on the outer islands was unlawful. In a ruling on Tuesday, the BIOT Supreme Court quashed the rule and the commissioner’s order for the Chagossians to leave. The forced removal of the Chagossian people from the Chagos Archipelago between 1965 and 1973 is widely described by international bodies and human rights organisations as a "crime against humanity" and an "appalling colonial crime."
Lawyer James Tumbridge who has represented the Chagossian Government (in exile) who are currently back on the Chagos islands, joins Tom Tugendhat and James Glancy on Outpost to discuss today’s Court verdict.
