"Exactly a year ago, on 16 December 2024, a judge ruled that Tamils who arrived on the island of Diego Garcia, a UK and US military base, after a shipwreck while they were trying to reach Canada to seek asylum, were unlawfully detained there for three years in conditions described as hell on Earth. The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) commissioner, Nishi Dholakia, lodged an appeal in the territory's court of appeal that the Tamils were not unlawfully detained on the island."
"After the unlawful detention finding last year that was upheld on Tuesday, the British government could face a bill of millions of pounds in damages for unlawfully detaining more than 60 people for such a long period. Diego Garcia, halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia, has beaches of white sand surrounded by turquoise seas and dense forests of coconut palms. But the conditions for the asylum seekers were less favourable. They were accommodated in rat-infested tents, largely deprived of their liberty."
An appeal court rejected the BIOT commissioner's appeal and upheld a prior finding that Tamils who reached Diego Garcia after a shipwreck were unlawfully detained for three years. The detainees had been trying to reach Canada to seek asylum. The commissioner, Nishi Dholakia, argued they were not unlawfully detained, but judges dismissed all four grounds of appeal and described the commissioner's evidence as highly selective. More than 60 people were held in fences and guarded camps in poor conditions, including rat-infested tents. The British government may face millions of pounds in damages. An acting BIOT judge likened the camp to a prison.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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