Chagossians reiterate right of return to Chagos Islands in London Court of Appeal
via Le Mauricien2 min read
The legal battle over the future of the Chagos Islands continued in the London Court of Appeal, where representatives of a group of Chagossians presented their arguments after the British government's pleadings. The case concerns the right of Chagossians to live in their homeland, from which they were expelled in the 1960s and 1970s to allow for the establishment of the Diego Garcia military base. The aim is to overturn a court decision that permits a group of Chagossians to remain on certain islands of the archipelago. The debate has evolved from focusing on costs, security imperatives, and resettlement feasibility to constitutional questions, including the right of abode, the Crown's powers exercised through royal prerogative, and Orders in Council. This shift is partly due to several Chagossians returning to the archipelago, demonstrating that a permanent presence is possible. Misley Mandarin, Interim First Minister of the self-proclaimed Chagos government, stated that this reality challenges long-standing arguments against their return. He emphasized that the core issue is whether the Chagossian people should have the right to decide their own future, asserting that the right to self-determination should apply to them as the indigenous people of the archipelago. Chagossian representatives wish for the islands to remain under British sovereignty, allowing them to return as British citizens and participate directly in decisions about their future. Legally, the case raises s
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