World Court: British handling of Chagos Islands 'unlawful'
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS FEBRUARY 25, 2019 / 10:20 AM / UPDATED 7 MINUTES AGO
World Court: British handling of Chagos Islands 'unlawful'
Stephanie van den Berg
2 MIN READ
THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The World Court on Monday backed Mauritius in a colonial-era dispute over the Chagos Islands, saying Britains handling of decolonization and the displacement of islanders from the Indian Ocean archipelago had been unlawful.
After gaining the islands in the early 1970s, Britain evicted almost 2,000 residents to Mauritius and the Seychelles to make way for the U.S. military base on the island of Diego Garcia.
In a non-binding advisory opinion, the top United Nations court for disputes between states said Britains 1968 decolonization of the islands had not been lawful and that Britain should relinquish control over the territory as soon as possible.
Reading a summary of a the 14-member tribunals decision, Presiding Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf said Britain was under obligation to bring to an end the administration of Chagos Islands as rapidly as possible.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-mauritius-worldcourt/world-court-british-handling-of-chagos-islands-unlawful-idUSKCN1QE1X2