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Telegraph
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer's Chagos deal reported to UN human rights chiefs
Sir Keir Starmer's Chagos deal has been reported to UN human rights chiefs over claims it ignores native islanders' desire to return to their homeland. Campaigners have asked the UN's human rights committee in Geneva to examine the deal, under which the UK will give up the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and rent back a military base there. If successful, the request could result in a UN ruling in direct contradiction to the body's International Court of Justice, which said in 2019 that the UK should hand over the islands to Mauritius. Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, who are British citizens but native to the islands, launched an eleventh-hour bid to stop the deal last month, resulting in a dramatic injunction from the High Court in the middle of the night. But their legal challenge was rejected the next day, and the deal went ahead, including a commitment for the UK to pay Mauritius up to £30 billion over the next 99 years. Ms Dugasse and Ms Pompe are now taking their fight to the UN by writing to the committee asking for an advisory opinion that the UK should not sign the deal over human rights concerns. They allege the deal breaches five articles of the UN's international covenant on civil and political rights, including the right to self-determination, freedom of movement and right to return, and minority rights. The deal agreed by Sir Keir has been opposed by MPs from the Conservative and Reform parties, and Tory peers have since launched a campaign to block the deal from the House of Lords. But the Government insists that the deal is vital for national security and will allow the military base on the archipelago's biggest island, Diego Garcia, to continue to operate legally. It follows years of negotiations between Britain and Mauritius, which claims it should have been given sovereignty over the islands when it was given independence from the UK in 1968. The population of the islands, between 1,400 and 1,700 people, was removed in the late 60s and early 70s to make way for the military base. The displaced Chagossians claim that they were not consulted before the Starmer deal was signed, and complain that under the terms agreed between the UK and Mauritius, they will not be allowed to return to Diego Garcia. Ms Pompe said: 'The fight is not over. There is nothing in that treaty for Chagossians and we will fight.' The UN does not have the power to block the deal, but the committee could issue an advisory opinion that would inform Downing Street it could be in breach of international human rights obligations if it proceeds. The campaigners told the committee in a letter, seen by The Telegraph, that the deal 'would amount to a definitive and irreversible endorsement of a continuing violation originally initiated by the colonial power'. It goes on: 'By excluding the Chagossian people from the process and de facto accepting their permanent displacement, the agreement entrenches the denial of their right to return and the effective exercise of their cultural, spiritual rights.' Toby Noskwith, who coordinated last month's legal action, said: 'I pity the poor souls in the No10 press office who are being ordered to justify Keir Starmer's betrayal of the Chagossian people. 'We're looking forward to the explanation of why the UN human rights committee doesn't matter. Not pausing the Chagos deal until the Committee rules is indefensible.'
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Court Halts Conclusion of Chagos Islands Deal With Injunction
The government has temporarily been banned from concluding its negotiations on the Chagos Islands deal by an injunction granted in the early hours by a High Court judge. Downing Street insisted the deal is the 'right thing' but would not comment on the legal case. A hearing is expected to take place at 10:30 a.m. In the injunction granted at 2:25 a.m. on Thursday, brought against the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Mr. Justice Goose granted 'interim relief' to Bertrice Pompe, who had previously taken steps to bring legal action over the deal. 'The defendant shall take no conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations concerning the possible transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, to a foreign government or bind itself as to the particular terms of any such transfer,' Mr. Justice Goose said in his order. It requires the government to 'maintain the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom over the British Indian Ocean Territory until further order.' Related Stories 2/27/2025 2/5/2025 According to the order, the judge granted the injunction 'upon consideration of the claimant's application for interim relief made out of court hours' and 'upon reading the defendants' response.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had been expected to attend a virtual ceremony alongside representatives from the Mauritian government on Thursday morning to sign off on the deal. Britain would give up sovereignty of the island territory to Mauritius under the deal, and lease back a crucial military base on the archipelago for 99 years. A government spokesperson said: 'We do not comment on ongoing legal cases. 'This deal is the right thing to protect the British people and our national security.'
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
UK court gives govt green light to reach Chagos Islands deal
Thousands of Chagos islanders, like Bertrice Pompe and Bernadette Dugasse, were forcibly removed from 1967 to 1973. (AFP pic) LONDON : A British court on Thursday paved the way for a government deal on returning the remote Chagos Islands to Mauritius, lifting a temporary ban which had forced an 11th-hour halt to an accord being signed. The agreement would see Britain hand back the Indian Ocean archipelago to its former colony and pay to lease a key US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island. Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer had been due to conclude the agreement in a virtual signing ceremony with Mauritian representatives earlier on Thursday. But, in a last-minute pre-dawn court hearing, two Chagossian women, Bertrice Pompe and Bernadette Dugasse, won a temporary injunction from London's High Court on the deal's progress. It was an embarrassing turn of events for Starmer, whose government has faced huge criticism over the plan. After a morning hearing, judge Martin Chamberlain lifted the injunction, saying there was a 'very strong case' that the UK national interest and public interest would be 'prejudiced' by extending the ban. He said any further challenges would have to be heard by the court of appeal. The government was expected to announce the deal later on Thursday. A spokesman said: 'We welcome the judge's ruling today.' But, speaking outside court, Pompe said it was a 'very, very sad day'. 'We don't want to hand our rights over to Mauritius. We are not Mauritians,' she said. Britain kept control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s. But, it evicted thousands of Chagos islanders, who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in British courts. Pompe, a Chagos Islands-born British national, said in court documents she had been living in exile since being 'forcibly removed from the Chagos Islands by the British authorities between 1967 and 1973'. Others had been forced into destitution in Mauritius, where they had suffered decades of discrimination, she said. The deal would 'jeopardise' the limited the rights she currently enjoyed to visit the islands, including to tend the graves of relatives, she added. Britain's opposition Conservatives have condemned the accord as 'British sovereign territory being given away' in a 'bad deal' for the UK. Pompe and Dugasse applied to the court to impose the injunction after a leaked newspaper report late on Wednesday indicated the government planned to unveil the agreement. As around 50 protesters gathered outside the court, the two women's lawyer, Philip Rule, alleged the government was acting 'unlawfully' and argued there was 'significant risk' that Thursday could be last opportunity the court had to hear the case. But, Starmer has said that international legal rulings have put Britain's ownership of the Chagos in doubt and only a deal with Mauritius can guarantee that the military base remains functional. The base on Diego Garcia is leased to the US. It has become one of its key military facilities in the Asia-Pacific region, including being used as a hub for long-range bombers and ships during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 'The deal is the right thing to protect the British people and our national security,' a government spokesperson told AFP ahead of the ruling. The opposition Conservatives, however, described the deal as a 'sellout for British interests'. 'You're seeing British sovereign territory being given away to an ally of China and billions of pounds of British taxpayers' money being spent for the privilege,' said senior Tory politician Robert Jenrick. 'This was always a bad deal,' he added. In 2019, the International Court of Justice recommended that Britain hand the archipelago to Mauritius after decades of legal battles. The proposed deal would give Britain a 99-year lease of the base, with the option to extend. The UK government has not said how much the lease will cost but has not denied reports that it would be £90 million (US$111 million) a year. Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has said his country will pursue its fight for full sovereignty over the islands if Washington refuses to support the return.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
British Chagossians accuse UK government of betrayal over sovereignty deal
Two women who brought an 11th-hour legal challenge to try to stop the UK transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius have accused the government of betrayal. British Chagossians Bertrice Pompe, 54, and Bernadette Dugasse, 68, who were both born on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia, vowed to keep fighting to try to realise their dream of returning to their place of birth. They obtained a high court injunction in the early hours of Thursday morning preventing the UK government from signing the deal with Mauritius. But later that day, another judge discharged the injunction and the agreement to hand over Britain's last African colony was sealed. While much of the fallout has focused on the cost to the UK of leasing back Diego Garcia, which is home to a UK-US airbase, and perceived security threats from Mauritius's relationship with China, many Chagossians feel sidelined. Chief among their concerns is that Diego Garcia is exempted from the right of return for Chagossians contained in the deal and that the Mauritius government will not do right by them. Dugasse, who was two-and-a-half when her family was forced to move to Seychelles, said on Friday that she was heartbroken. 'I don't know how to put it because the night before we won, and in the morning we lost – I've been betrayed by the British government,' she said. 'I will have to keep on fighting the British government till they accept for me to settle there [on Diego Garcia]. Do I know if I'll be able to be around to keep on fighting? I'm getting older and older and I'm losing my strength so I don't think I can make it for very long.' The presence of the military base was the reason the UK severed the Chagos Islands – renaming it the British Indian Ocean Territory – from the rest of Mauritius, when it granted the latter independence in 1968. The British forcibly displaced up to 2,000 people in what has been described as a crime against humanity and one of the most shameful episodes of postwar colonialism. Related: UK signs £3.4bn deal to cede sovereignty over Chagos Islands to Mauritius An internal Foreign Office memo notoriously belittled Chagossians as 'a few Tarzans and Man Fridays' and Pompe, just six months old when her family was expelled, referred to this as she explained how the UK's current actions were exacerbating its past transgressions. She said: 'We've been ignored, we've been invisible, we don't exist. They don't even mention us. When they expelled us, everything was hidden [as if] there were no human beings on the island, just some Man Fridays. And they're not saying it [now], they're not pronouncing the [same] words, but by their actions they're doing the same thing. We're being scammed over and over again.' Given their historic treatment by the British, it might seem strange that the legal challenge sought to keep the islands under British control, but the women explained that it was intended as a temporary arrangement. Dugasse said it would be 'for the time being, until we are able to manage our island by ourselves'. She elaborated, likening the deal to going 'out of the frying pan, into the fire', and added: 'Like my grandparents used to say: 'Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know.'' Of the Chagossians in Mauritius, many of whom support the deal, she said: 'They forgot that in the past they were campaigning against the Mauritian government for dumping them in rough houses, dirty places.' Pompe and Dugasse pledged to continue the fight by urging MPs to vote against the deal in parliament and also through the courts. 'I'm still feeling hopeful,' said Pompe. '[Thursday] was a little bit of a disappointment, but after that we've had so much support, especially from other Chagossian groups. 'I'm going to keep working with my lawyers, and we're going to bring another case. So it's not over until the fat lady sings – and that's me.' The government made no reference to the Chagossians in its press release on Thursday. It described the agreement as a 'legal necessity', given international court rulings which said it should return the islands to Mauritius, and said it had secured the future of the 'strategically critical' Diego Garcia base.
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
British Chagossians accuse UK government of betrayal over sovereignty deal
Two women who brought an 11th-hour legal challenge to try to stop the UK transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius have accused the government of betrayal. British Chagossians Bertrice Pompe, 54, and Bernadette Dugasse, 68, who were both born on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia, vowed to keep fighting to try to realise their dream of returning to their place of birth. They obtained a high court injunction in the early hours of Thursday morning preventing the UK government from signing the deal with Mauritius. But later that day, another judge discharged the injunction and the agreement to hand over Britain's last African colony was sealed. While much of the fallout has focused on the cost to the UK of leasing back Diego Garcia, which is home to a UK-US airbase, and perceived security threats from Mauritius's relationship with China, many Chagossians feel sidelined. Chief among their concerns is that Diego Garcia is exempted from the right of return for Chagossians contained in the deal and that the Mauritius government will not do right by them. Dugasse, who was two-and-a-half when her family was forced to move to the Seychelles, said on Friday that she was heartbroken. 'I don't know how to put it because the night before we won, and in the morning we lost – I've been betrayed by the British government,' she said. 'I will have to keep on fighting the British government till they accept for me to settle there [on Diego Garcia]. Do I know if I'll be able to be around to keep on fighting? I'm getting older and older and I'm losing my strength so I don't think I can make it for very long.' The presence of the military base was the reason the UK severed the Chagos Islands – renaming it the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) – from the rest of Mauritius, when it granted the latter independence in 1968. The British forcibly displaced up to 2,000 people in what has been described as a crime against humanity and one of the most shameful episodes of postwar colonialism. An internal Foreign Office memo notoriously belittled Chagossians as 'a few Tarzans and Man Fridays' and Pompe, just six months old when her family was expelled, referred to this as she explained how the UK's current actions were exacerbating its past transgressions. She said: 'We've been ignored, we've been invisible, we don't exist. They don't even mention us. When they expelled us, everything was hidden [as if] there were no human beings on the island, just some Man Fridays. And they're not saying it [now], they're not pronouncing the [same] words, but by their actions they're doing the same thing. We're being scammed over and over again.' Given their historic treatment by the British, it might seem strange that the legal challenge sought to keep the islands under British control, but the women explained that it was intended as a temporary arrangement. Dugasse said it would be 'for the time being, until we are able to manage our island by ourselves'. She elaborated using two sayings. Likening the deal to going 'out of the frying pan, into the fire', she added: 'Like my grandparents used to say: 'Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know'.' Of the Chagossians in Mauritius, many of whom support the deal, she said: 'They forgot that in the past they were campaigning against the Mauritian government for dumping them in rough houses, dirty places.' Pompe and Dugasse pledged to continue the fight by urging MPs to vote against the deal in parliament and also through the courts. 'I'm still feeling hopeful,' said Pompe. '[Thursday] was a little bit of a disappointment, but after that we've had so much support, especially from other Chagossian groups. 'I'm going to keep working with my lawyers, and we're going to bring another case. So it's not over until the fat lady sings – and that's me.' The government made no reference to the Chagossians in its press release on Thursday. It described the agreement as a 'legal necessity', given international court rulings which said it should return the islands to Mauritius, and said it had secured the future of the 'strategically critical' Diego Garcia base.
