Latest news with #PhilippeSands
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Chagossians want sovereignty deal to go ahead, says Mauritius legal adviser
Former residents of the Chagos Islands were consulted on the deal to hand over sovereignty of the archipelago, Mauritius's chief legal adviser has told peers. Philippe Sands KC, who has represented Mauritius in its legal battle with the UK since 2010, told a House of Lords committee he wanted to 'knock on the head this idea that all of the Chagossians were not involved' in negotiations over the deal. His comments came a day after a panel of UN experts urged Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to abandon the agreement reached with Mauritius last month and negotiate a new one. The panel, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, said it was 'gravely concerned about the lack of meaningful participation of Chagossians in the processes that have led to the agreement'. The experts also criticised the continuing bar on Chagossians returning to Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, because of the ongoing presence of a joint UK-US military base. On Wednesday, Mr Sands told the Lords International Relations and Defence Committee: 'To be clear, it is not the case that Chagossians had no role in the negotiations. 'I can tell you that Chagossians in Mauritius and Seychelles were deeply involved in consulting with successive prime ministers of Mauritius and they attended the hearings at the International Court of Justice.' He added: 'I want to really knock on the head this idea that all of the Chagossians were not involved in the various processes. That is simply not true. 'It is true, however, that the Chagossian community is divided and I respect that division.' Earlier, he had told the committee that, while some UK-based Chagossians wanted the islands to remain British territory, 'most in Mauritius and Seychelles have made very clear…that they wish this deal to go ahead'. The Chagossians were expelled from the islands between 1965 and 1973 to make way for the Diego Garcia base and have not been allowed to Mr Sands told peers the 'quid pro quo' for the military base remaining on Diego Garcia was Chagossians would be allowed to settle on the outer islands of the archipelago. The deal follows a 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice saying the islands should be handed over to Mauritius. As well as establishing a £40 million fund for Chagossians, the UK has agreed to pay Mauritius at least £120 million a year for 99 years in order to lease back the Diego Garcia base – a total cost of at least £13 billion in cash terms. The deal also includes provisions preventing development on the rest of the archipelago without the UK's consent, which the Government has said will prevent countries such as China setting up their own facilities. The agreement has also been backed by the United States, the UN secretary general and the African Union, but heavily criticised by the Conservative Party as a 'surrender'. Mr Sands disagreed with that on Wednesday, saying the deal 'will enhance Britain's position in the world'. He said: 'I can tell you from personal experience, direct comments from countries, ambassadors, prime ministers, presidents around the world, this is seen as Britain back on the world (stage), acting honourably and decently, protecting its interests and safeguarding…the rule of law.'
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
The mum of an ISIS 'Beatle'. Shamima Begum. Gerry Adams. 5 Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists. The Attorney General's defenders say he had no choice but to represent these enemies of Britain. But are they right?: DAN HODGES
A couple of weeks ago the liberal human rights lawyer Philippe Sands appeared at the Cambridge Festival to promote his book recalling the case of late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's 1998 UK arrest. Opening his talk, Sands revealed to his audience how he had been asked to represent Pinochet, a sadistic torturer, in the impending court case. 'I explained to my wife, with some excitement, and she says to me, 'Will you do it?'' he recalled. 'Then she says to me, 'You can do it if you want to do it. But if you do it, I will divorce you tomorrow.''
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Author Philippe Sands was told it is ‘unacceptable' to read Russian writer Tolstoy amid Ukraine war
British-French author Philippe Sands has said he was told it is 'unacceptable' to read the work of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Sands is a lawyer and the author of bestselling books including The Ratline and The Last Colony. In 2016, his memoir East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. The 64-year-old appeared on a panel at the 2025 Hay Festival, which has partnered with The Independent for a second year. He was joined by Swedish philanthropist Sigrid Rausing, academic Adam Rutherford, and The Independent's chief international correspondent Bel Trew. Responding to Rausing's concerns over 'how far Ukraine is going to go' in retaliating against the Russian invasion, Sands said: 'I've got no objection to that. I've got no objection to them targeting Russian bridges.' He continued: 'The issue I've found in Kyiv, and in other places in Ukraine, is I want to read a short story by Tolstoy and I'm told I can't do that because it's unacceptable.' Russian novelist Tolstoy, who died in 1910, was the author of seminal books including War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1878). The latter has been the subject of numerous film adaptations, including a critically acclaimed version starring Greta Garbo in 1935, and Joe Wright's 2012 adaptation starring Keira Knightley. 'It's an issue right now because [Ukrainians] are feeling very beleaguered,' said Sands. 'On the other hand, there are people who say, 'No, absolutely there are many good Russian writers, and many good Russian people...' so that is complex.' He added: 'But in terms of going into the Russian side, absolutely. [Ukraine have] got to defend themselves.' The discussion came in light of the news that at least seven people had been killed and dozens more injured when bridges collapsed in separate incidents across Russia. Moscow Railways initially blamed the collapse in the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, on 'illegal interference in the operation of transport', in a likely reference to Ukrainian saboteurs, but its Telegram post was later removed. Prominent Russian military blogger Semyon Pegov, who uses the name War Gonzo, called it 'sabotage'. Neither report could be independently verified. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. A second bridge collapsed hours later when a freight train was crossing a bridge in the Kursk region early on Sunday (1 June), according to a local governor, causing a similar derailment. Russia's Investigative Committee said on Sunday that the two bridges had collapsed following explosions. In a third, separate incident, a prominent Ukrainian partisan group claimed responsibility for an attack on relay systems in the occupied Donetsk province, which brought a new Russian rail line to a standstill. Russia has been hit by dozens of sabotage attacks since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine in 2022, with many targeting its vast rail network. Kyiv said railways are targeted because they are used to transport troops and weapons for deployment in the war. You can follow updates on the Ukraine-Russia war in The Independent's live blog. Elsewhere during the panel, Sands, a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School, said that reports of 'rampant antisemitism' at the prestigious university are 'complete nonsense'.
The Independent
01-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Professor Philippe Sands says reports of ‘rampant antisemitism' at Harvard university are ‘complete nonsense'
Philippe Sands has dismissed reports of 'rampant antisemitism ' at Harvard University, amid the conflict between the Trump administration and the Ivy League school. Donald Trump has slashed Harvard's federal funding, after accusing the institution of being too left-wing and of failing to combat antisemitism when pro-Palestinian protests have taken place on campuses. Sands, a lawyer, author and visiting professor at Harvard Law School, commented on the fallout during The Independent 's News Review event at the 2025 Hay Festival, telling the audience: 'The idea there is rampant antisemitism at Harvard is hopeless. It is just not the situation.' He added: 'As in any place in the world, there will be examples of antisemitism, no question at all, but the idea it is rampant and all over the place is complete nonsense.' Sands, along with philanthropist Sigrid Rausing and academic Adam Rutherford, were being interviewed by The Independent 's Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew. His comments came as part of a discussion on the Trump administration's attack on the US's oldest and wealthiest university. Earlier this month, it was announced that eight federal agencies would terminate a further $450m in grants to Harvard University, due to what officials have framed as inadequate responses to antisemitism on campus. Those funding cuts came after the administration axed $2.2bn in federal funding to the university, bringing the total financial penalty to around $2.65bn. 'Harvard's campus, once a symbol of academic prestige, has become a breeding ground for virtue signalling and discrimination,' read a statement from Trump administration's task force to combat antisemitism. 'This is not leadership; it is cowardice. And it's not academic freedom; it's institutional disenfranchisement.' This week, the Trump administration's antagonisation of the prestigious university escalated further, with the announcement that officials are set to start vetting the social media accounts of visa applicants who plan to attend, work at, or visit Harvard University for any signs of antisemitism. Harvard has become a punching bag for the administration, after its leadership refused the government's demands for an audit to determine the extent of its 'ideological capture by the radical left'. Trump's government is blocking Harvard from enrolling international students and is forcing currently enrolled foreign students to leave the university or risk losing their legal status in the US. The university is suing the US government over both the suspension of its federal funding and the cancellation of its permit to enrol foreign students.
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Starmer's Chagos surrender is a national disgrace
Sir Keir Starmer has secured his legacy. For as long as British history is taught, his shameful surrender of the Chagos Islands will go down as this nation's foreign policy nadir. The Prime Minister has negotiated a deal which cedes sovereign territory, hands over billions of pounds of taxpayer money, and appears to have been struck more out of an obsession with being seen to uphold even the most spurious interpretations of international law than for the benefit of Britain. The legal justification for the surrender is paper thin. A non-binding opinion from an international court necessitated no action on the part of the British state, particularly when one of the judges involved in the decision was a former Chinese government official who proceeded to give backing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. That Britain's strategic foes should seek to use international institutions to place pressure on this country is understandable; that the Prime Minister should fall for such a trap is unforgivable. If the legal case is flimsy, the strategic case is weaker still. The 'national security' concerns are understood to have been proposed by Sir Keir's friend Philippe Sands, who represented Mauritius, and were described by an official who worked on the deal as an attempt to 'find a rationale'. At a time when the public finances are under severe pressure, with the Chancellor likely to impose further tax rises on the population in the Autumn budget, to sign away not only the islands but a cash payment alongside them is beyond comprehension. It is an act of political and strategic vandalism that will live on in memories long after this wretched Government has passed.
