Philippe Sands

April 1973: In the middle of the night, the inhabitants of an island in the Chagos archipelago are roused from their sleep. British soldiers force them at gunpoint to leave their homes, and they are deported by ship to Mauritius and the United States. Chagos is declared British territory, Great Britain leases one of the islands to the USA for a military base. Renowned human rights lawyer and best-selling author Philippe Sands tells the scandalous story of a violation of human rights. He shows that colonialism has not yet been overcome and that Great Britain is still breaking international law today.

Philippe Sands, born in London in 1960, is a lawyer and professor of international law and director of the Centre for International Courts and Tribunals at University College London.

Language: English

In the series Democracy