Court halts UK’s plan to give Chagos Islands to Mauritius Photo

A High Court judge has temporarily blocked the UK government from concluding a controversial deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, issuing an emergency injunction in the early hours of May 22.

The order, made by Justice Goose at 2:25 am, prevents ministers from taking “any conclusive or legally binding step” in finalising negotiations on the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), Caliber.Az reports, citing British media.

The ruling followed a legal challenge from Bertrice Pompe, a Chagossian woman who previously initiated proceedings against the Foreign Office. She argues the deal constitutes a betrayal of the rights of the Chagossian people.

The injunction came just hours before ministers were expected to formally conclude the transfer of sovereignty. A High Court hearing has been scheduled for 10:30 am on May 22.

Government sources had indicated that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was due to participate in a virtual ceremony to mark the handover. However, the court order now makes it legally impossible to proceed with the deal at this stage.

A government spokesperson said: “We do not comment on ongoing legal cases. This deal is the right thing to protect the British people and our national security.”

As part of the planned arrangement, the UK would lease back a military base on the archipelago for 99 years, preserving its strategic role in the region.

The proposed agreement has faced sharp criticism from opposition parties. Former justice secretary Robert Jenrick said that, the deal amounted to “a sell-out for British interests”.

“You’re seeing British sovereign territory being given away to an ally of China and billions of pounds of British taxpayers’ money being spent for the privilege,” he said. “So, if this group can force the government to think twice, then all power to them.”

Ms Pompe contends that completing the deal would breach both the Human Rights Act and the Equality Act, claiming that the government has shown disregard for the rights of Chagossians.

The Chagos Islands, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, were home to a native population who were forcibly removed by the UK between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, predominantly to Mauritius.

While those born on the islands and their children retain British nationality, later generations born abroad have no automatic claim to it.

The government has maintained that international legal decisions support Mauritius’s claim to the territory, making the handover necessary.

By Aghakazim Guliyev