Chagossian protester Lisette Talate has joined demonstrations outside the High Court today as part of a legal battle over the future of the Chagos Islands. Speaking to GB News from the protest, Talate expressed her opposition to Mauritius taking control of her homeland.
"I'm here today to fight for my right. I don't want Mauritius to take over my island," she told reporters.
Her protest comes as the High Court has temporarily blocked the UK government from concluding a deal that would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius.
The injunction was granted at 02:25 BST when Mr Justice Goose provided "interim relief" to two Chagossian women, Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, who had brought a case against the Foreign Office.
Lisette Talate said protesters are fighting for their self-determination
GB NEWS
The judge ordered that "the defendant shall take no conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations concerning the possible transfer" of the islands to a foreign government.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had been expected to attend a virtual signing ceremony with Mauritian government representatives on Thursday morning.
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The Chagos IslandsFLICKR/PAThe agreement would have seen the UK hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while allowing Britain and the US to continue using a military base there for 99 years.
Talate's emotional testimony highlighted the generational suffering of Chagossians who were forcibly removed from their homeland.
"My grandparents, my parents, they suffer a lot and they died and didn't even see the island," she told GB News. "That is why we are here today. To fight for our self-determination."
Her lawyer, Michael Polak, had earlier this year criticised the government's approach, saying: "The government's attempt to give away the Chagossians' homeland whilst failing to hold a formal consultation with the Chagossian people is a continuation of their terrible treatment by the authorities in the past."
The Chagossian protesters joined Andrew Pierce and Bev Turner on GB News
GB NEWS
The court is scheduled to hear the case again at 10:30 today.
The Chagos Archipelago was separated from Mauritius in 1965, when Mauritius was still a British colony. Britain purchased the islands for £3m, but Mauritius has argued it was illegally forced to give away the islands in order to gain independence.
In the late 1960s, Britain invited the US to build a military base on Diego Garcia and removed thousands of people from their homes on the islands.
An immigration order issued in 1971 prevented the islanders from returning.
In recent years, the UK has faced growing international pressure to return the islands to Mauritius, with both the United Nations' top court and general assembly supporting Mauritius's sovereignty claims.
