Chagos Archipelago Advisory Opinion

About the panel discussion

The International Court of Justice handed down an Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius on 25 February. The Chagos Archipelago is a set of small islands set in the middle of the Indian Ocean, currently administered by the United Kingdom under the title British Indian Ocean Territories (BIOT). One of those islands - Diego Garcia - has been leased to the United States by the United Kingdom and is the  site of a US military base.

The Advisory Opinion, requested by the UN General Assembly, questions the legality of the UK's insistence that the Chagos Islands be separated from Mauritius at the time of Mauritius’ independence in 1968. It offers important insights on the scope of the right to self-determination in international law. The Opinion is available here.

Our panellists

The panel will discuss the context and significance of the decision. The panel members are:

• 
  Professor Matthew Craven

  Professor of International Law (SOAS); Counsel for Mauritius

• 
  Dr Emma Nyhan

  Research Fellow (MLS)

• 
  Professor Sundhya Pahuja

  Professor of International Law (MLS); IILAH Director



• 
  Associate Professor Margaret Young

  Professor of International Law (MLS)

• 
  Professor Hilary Charlesworth (Chair)

  Professor of International Human Rights Law