FOTBOT Calls for Genuine, Independent Consultation with Chagossians as UK Government Announces House of Lords Review

Friends of the British Overseas Territories (FOTBOT) notes the UK Government’s decision to ask the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee, chaired by Lord de Mauley, to prepare a report on Chagossian views regarding the Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill and the associated treaty.

FOTBOT stresses that this process must not become a rapid tick-box exercise, rather it must be meaningful and truly engage with all Chagossian communities and reflect their views transparently. For decades, Chagossians have been shamefully treated as second-class citizens - displaced from their homeland and too often excluded from meaningful decisions about their future. That must change.

James Lunn, Chief Executive of FOTBOT said: “The Chagossian community has faced decades of injustice. They have been repeatedly sidelined in decisions affecting their lives. It is essential that this time, the process is fair, transparent and led by genuine consultation, and not simply used as a token process.

FOTBOT calls for a full, independent consultation with Chagossians across all communities, including those in the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles, to ensure their voices are properly heard and represented.

“Chagossians continue to be completely ignored in major decisions about their own future,” added the Chief Executive. “A quick report to Parliament is not enough. The Bill and any future treaty must hinge on a comprehensive consultation process that is independent, transparent and accountable.”

FOTBOT believes that genuine engagement with the Chagossian people is the only way to ensure that the UK’s actions are consistent with its principles of fairness, respect and the right to self-determination which it affords to other UK Overseas Territories.

ENDS

Enquiries: daniel.toft@fotbot.org