Professor Sands is currently on a visit to Mauritius in the context of his conferment of the Award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean.
Professor Sands has represented Mauritius in cases brought before international courts and tribunal with regard to the Chagos Archipelago. He has also acted as Counsel for Mauritius before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the context of the advisory proceedings on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. He is currently the Lead Counsel in the case of maritime boundary delimitation with the Maldives before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
The rule of law requires the rest of the world to recognise Chagos Archipelago as part of the Mauritian territory. It is an extraordinary result that has been achieved by the country and which has shown to the judges of the world that Mauritius is a country to be taken seriously with due diligence and integrity in its struggle to the decolonisation process.
The Legal Adviser on Sovereignty matters, Professor Philipe Sands, GCSK, QC, made these remarks, today, at the Sir Harilal Vaghjee Memorial Hall, Port-Louis, during a meeting with Members of the National Assembly.
The Acting Prime Minister, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo; the Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Civil Service, Mr Nayen Koomar Ballah; the Permanent Representative of Mauritius to the United nations in New York, Mr Jagdish Dharamchand Koonjul; and several Ministers and Members of the National Assembly, were present.
At the outset, Professor Sands elaborated on the decolonisation process of the Chagos Archipelago and actions undertaken during the past 11 years. He stressed that the decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully completed under international law adding that the United Kingdom has been urged to end its unlawful occupation on the Chagos.
He reiterated his strong commitment to the cause of ending colonialism which is dear to him and indicated that Mauritius is not yet there but has come a long way in its struggle in the decolonisation process.
Mr Sands further dwelt on the position of Mauritius on the Chagos issue following the advisory opinion of the ICJ, the UN General Assembly Resolution 73/295 and the judgement of the ITLOS. The majority of countries, he underlined, voted in favour of Mauritius adding that it marks a major step forward in the fight of the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago.
For his part, Acting Prime Minister Obeegadoo, extended his appreciation to the work accomplished by the external legal team under the leadership of Professor Sands, while highlighting those significant achievements have been made in the long-standing struggle to complete the decolonisation process.
He reaffirmed the determination of the Government to ensure that these decisions are complied with, that Mauritius is able to exercise its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, and that Mauritians, more especially those of the Chagossian origin, are able to resettle on the Chagos Archipelago.
Chagos Archipelago: The Last British Colony in Africa
A lecture entitled ‘A Short History of Colonialism, a Modern Crime against Humanity? – Chagos Archipelago: The Last British Colony in Africa’, was delivered by Professor Philippe Sands, this afternoon, at the Charles Telfair Campus, in Moka.
The initiative is a joint collaboration of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Charles Telfair Centre.
Representatives from the public and private sectors, Non-governmental Organisations, the academia and students, attended the lecture. Mauritius’ Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Jagdish Koonjul, and the Head of the Charles Telfair Centre, Dr Myriam Blin, were present on the occasion.
The lecture focused on the history of the Chagos Archipelago, the forceful deportation of its population and the legal proceedings undertaken to fight against United Kingdom’s unlawful occupation of the Islands.
During the lecture, Professor Philippe Sands also presented the testimony of a deported Chagossian and dwelt on the right of return of all Chagossians to their native land.
