April 05th, 2021

A major New York Times op-ed shows how the US and UK are holding onto Diego Garcia as a colony and preventing Chagossians from going home. Both governments claim to be committed to international law and criticize the Chinese government for violating international law but then hypocritically and illegally hold on to Diego Garcia. This double standard is "brazen," "grotesque and damaging."

The author, Philippe Sands, calls for the UK to return the Chagos islands to their internationally recognized sovereign, Mauritius, and for its government to follow through on its promises to allow Chagossians to return, while also giving the US a 99-year lease to the Diego Garcia base.

Sands says this can be "a win-win-win proposition," in which "security, human rights and the marine environment are protected."

We hope the Biden administration respects international law and the international community by pushing the UK to give up its last-created colony. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/01/opinion/uk-mauritius-china-us.html

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