Diego Garcia: US blocks British court from British territory

[muriel_volestrangler]

The US government has blocked a British court hearing from taking place on a British territory, citing security concerns, the BBC understands.

The supreme court of British Indian Ocean Territory (Biot) was due to hold a hearing this week, attended by the BBC, on whether a group of migrants was being unlawfully detained on the island of Diego Garcia.
...
Britain took control of the Chagos Islands, of which Diego Garcia is part, from its then colony, Mauritius, in 1965. It went on to evict its population of more than 1,000 people to make way for the military base.
...
Dozens of Sri Lankan Tamils landed on the island in October 2021, becoming the first people to file asylum claims on Biot. Around 60 people, including at least 16 children, remain there as complex legal battles are fought over their fate.

They are housed in tents in a fenced camp, guarded by private security company G4S.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxe2v2mdg7vo

From February:

A group of asylum seekers on an isolated British island territory have told UN investigators they feel unsafe and forgotten, as they reported sexual assaults and harassment of children, as well as self-harm and suicide attempts.

Inspectors from the UN's refugee agency visited Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, to check on their welfare.

A draft report says that conditions there amounted to arbitrary detention.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-68326365

[Dave Bowman]

1. What a nightmare.