US blocks British courtroom from British territory

The United States government has blocked a British court hearing from taking over the playing field on British soil, citing security concerns, according to legal documents.

The Grand Court of the British Indian Ocean Range (BOAT) was due to hear a hearing on the day, reported by the BBC, into whether a group of migrants were being illegally detained on the island of Diego Garcia.

The island hosts a secret UK-US military base and access is very limited.

USA Extreme Day said it was “withdrawing its consent” to seek access rights to the island for lawyers representing migrants and “members of the press” – BBC – according to court papers.

It said it would no longer allow hearing people to board US military flights to Diego Garcia, and would no longer hand over shipping, accommodation or food to the island until its “security and operational concerns are adequately addressed.” are not properly addressed”, comments an eyewitness, says Nishi Dholakia, deputy commissioner of Biot.

The comment said the United States said it would be “willing to reconsider” the requests if talks were “conducted in a manner” that addresses its concerns.

Dozens of migrants arrived on the island in October 2021, saying they were fleeing persecution and trying to get to Canada to seek asylum when their boat ran into trouble like the one off Diego Garcia.

Late on Thursday night – hours before the decision, lawyers for the UK government and people representing migrants, and the BBC were due to fly in for the first phase of the advance – shared a series of tweets announcing the court was canceling the hearing.

The United States has security concerns related to a website discussion that was scheduled as part of the hearing to pull the playing field on the island, which was to include the migrant camp and several other alternative areas of Diego Garcia .

In a communication dated July 3, titled “Notification of the United States to the United Kingdom to Decline the 6–12 July 2024 Visit of the Biot Supreme Court in Diego Garcia”, the US government said the conversation on the website was “in the interest of security. “and the effective operation of the

Court documents filed by and for Biot’s commissioner stated that the review by the US military commander on the island “was confidential and based on an assessment of the US’s own national security needs”.

Tom Shorten, a lawyer at Leigh Era, a United Kingdom firm representing one of the major migrants, said the cancellation of the day’s hearing was “a devastating blow to our vulnerable clients”, and called for it to be rearranged. Once intelligible.

“Our clients have responded to US demands that site visits include some US-controlled buildings (such as gyms and swimming pools, where US cheerleaders and celebrity chefs visited earlier this year) as well as Turner Club and Golf Club (which BIOT and FCDO civil servants frequent).

“It is most important for our clients that the judge sees the detention camp and that they attend the hearing in person,” he said.

A virtual court hearing was held on Tuesday, attended by London lawyers and expatriates from Diego Garcia, to decide next steps in the case as discussions continue between the United Kingdom and US governments.

Then talking about the hearing, when the hearing closed for the day, the migrants advised BBC in their grief.

“It has taken away all our hopes,” said one woman. “We have been stuck at this place for almost three years. We were hoping that we would get some relief from this hearing.

Every other person inside the camp said: “It is very stressful. We were hoping that the hearing would bring our grief to an end.”

The United Kingdom annexed the Chagos Islands, of which Diego Garcia is a part, from its colony, Mauritius, in 1965. It evicted its people of more than 1,000 families to make way for the military area.

Guarantees signed in 1966 allowed for an initial 50-year period of American utilization of the field, plus an additional two decades. According to the Biot web page the commitment was supposed to “roll over” in 2016, and now I am set to expire in 2036.

BIOT is run from London, although it has been described as “constitutionally separate” from the UK.

Mauritius, which gained independence from Britain in 1968, says the islands are its own and the UN’s highest court has ruled that Britain’s administration of the territory is “illegal” and should end.

Most of Diego Garcia’s personnel and resources are under US control, including most accommodation and transportation on the island as well as restaurants and shops.

A US military commander may deny access to areas operated or controlled by the US military for security reasons.

BIOT’s official website states that entry is permitted only to “those with connections either to the military facility or to the administration of the area”.