The Chagos Islanders - Do they Exist?

The Centre for Law, Ethics and Globalisation in the School of Law, in collaboration with 'The Indian Ocean: Narratives in Literature and Law' (an AHRC Landscape and Environment funded project, School of Humanities, University of Southampton, and The Literature Department, Open University), present a public lecture to be given by Richard Gifford of Clifford Chance, Solicitors entitled:

'The Chagos Islanders - Do they Exist? A consideration of the legal, political and moral ramifications of R (on the application of Bancoult) (Respondent) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Appellant) [2008] UKHL 61'

As one of the most controversial and potentially far-reaching House of Lords rulings of recent years, the judgments handed down in October 2008 on this case are setting many constitutional and human rights agendas.

Richard Gifford has acted as the Chagos Islanders’ solicitor and works towards a hearing of their case in the European Court of Human Rights.

A response by Dr Mark Elliott (University of Cambridge) will follow the lecture and open up discussion. Dr Elliott is an expert in constitutional law. His careful and insightful work reveals the longer histories of anomaly and contradiction that underlie the judgements in this case.