U.N. ruling raises hope of return for exiled Chagos islanders

Britain acted illegally in the way it has exercised territorial control over the Chagos Islands, a U.N. tribunal has ruled, raising questions over the U.K.’s claim to sovereignty and offering hope of return to hundreds of evicted islanders.
In a withering judgment, the U.K. is accused of creating a marine protected area (MPA) to suit its electoral timetable, snubbing the rights of its former colony Mauritius and cosying up to the United States, which has a key military base – allegedly used for the rendition of terrorist suspects – on the largest island, Diego Garcia.
The ruling effectively throws into doubt the U.K.’s assertion of absolute ownership, restricts the Americans’ ability to expand their facility without Mauritian compliance and boosts the chances of exiled Chagossians being able to return to their homeland.

This post was published at The Guardian