Lawyers for some of approximately 60 Sri Lankan Tamil asylum-seekers stranded on the British-held island of Diego Garcia have appealed to the UK’s new Foreign Minister David Lammy to intervene after the US blocked them from visiting the island for a hearing set to take place this week. The US runs a secretive military facility on the island, and issued the decision to bar the legal team on a “confidential” basis, citing “national security.” The lawyers are accusing the island’s governmentāthe British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) administrationāof illegally detaining their clients, who have been confined to a small camp for nearly three years after fleeing Sri Lanka and India by boat. The BIOT administration claims to have no role in negotiating permission for the visit, but lawyers for the asylum-seekers say the administration has a duty to persuade the US to allow the hearing to take place and ensure the rule of law on the remote British territory.
From The New Humanitarian, July 12.
See our last report on theĀ Diego Garcia detention facility.
Photo via TNH
Judge considers Diego Garcia unlawful detention claims
The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) of Diego GarciaĀ hosted a trial between Sept. 17 and 19 in which a visiting UK judge heard arguments that nearly 60 Sri Lankan asylum seekers are being unlawfully detained on the island of Diego Garcia. Most have lived in a fenced compound on the island, which hosts a large US military base, for the last three years. One testified that BIOT authorities warned the group on multiple occasions that they could be shot by American soldiers if they left the camp. Lawyers for the group alleged that even after the court granted some asylum seekers bail to leave the camp in April, BIOT authorities tried to prevent them from doing so,Ā imposing onerous restrictions on their activities at large.Ā If the judge upholds the unlawful detention claims, the asylum seekers will gain greater access to other parts of Diego Garcia, including beaches and a nature conservation area. (TNH)