Judge finds UK unlawfully detained Tamils stranded on Diego Garcia Government could face a huge bill for damages after keeping more than 60 asylum seekers in ‘hellish’ conditions.
Dozens of asylum seekers stranded on one of the most remote islands in the world in conditions described as “hell on earth” were unlawfully detained there by the UK for three years, a judge has found.
More than 60 Tamil asylum seekers became stranded on the tropical island of Diego Garcia – halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia in the Indian Ocean – in October 2021 after their boat sprung a leak.
The ruling, hailed by lawyers for the stranded asylum seekers as “a victory for justice”, was made by Margaret Obi, the acting judge of the supreme court of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
The asylum seekers hoped to get their boat repaired and continue on their journey after a few days on the island, which has white sands surrounded by turquoise seas and dense forests of coconut palms.
