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from the
British government as compensation, the equivalent of just under £4,000 at the time. This money was paid in exchange for signing a document that renounced any claim against the UK government following the deportation from the Chagos. Like many Chagossians, unable to read or write, Liseby
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took up this advisory opinion and put to the vote a resolution calling for the return of
Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Islands and the resettlement of the Chagossians in their archipelago. The resolution was adopted by 116 votes to 6, but has never been implemented by the United Kingdom
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regarding sovereignty over the Chagos
Islands, Liseby Elysé was one of five Chagossians to testify in writing about her history, at the request of the Mauritian side. Among them, Liseby Elysé was chosen to testify orally before the court. However, as she was unable to read out a text written in
244:' book The Last Colony, published in summer 2022. The writer and international lawyer, who was involved in the Mauritian delegation, tells the story of the Chagossians' struggle all the way to the International Court of Justice, through the life of Liseby Elysé.
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She only attended school for a few years, as the
British administration closed the school when Liseby was nine. She never learned to read or write. In the Chagos Islands, she first worked as a nanny for the children of the archipelago's administrator.
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signed with her thumbprint, without understanding the real significance of the document. In 2006, she took part in the first visit to the Chagos organised by the
British authorities, and spent a few hours at Peros Banhos.
137:(the dried flesh of the coconut) for the plantation, but passed away when Liseby was seven years old. Liseby has five brothers and one sister. Her grandparents were also born in Chagos. The Bertrand family are practising
133:, further south in the archipelago. He worked as a baker for the company that ran the coconut plantations. Her mother, Marcelle Antalika, born in the 1930s on Île du Coin, was working at the preparation of
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in its advisory opinion, recognising on the one hand the forced expulsion of the
Chagossians, and on the other hand requiring the end of British administration of the Chagos Islands in order to achieve
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by the
British administration to Mauritius, at the same time as the four hundred inhabitants of Peros Banhos, the last in the entire archipelago. At the time, she was pregnant with her first child. She
233:, but organised for the first time by the Mauritian authorities. The expedition, which included the presence of scientists, was intended to demarcate the maritime boundary between Mauritius and the
165:"We were told to leave everything behind. We weren't allowed to take our dogs. We were only allowed one suitcase per person, which we filled with everything that meant the most to us."
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The conditions on the boat were miserable, and Liseby suffered a miscarriage shortly after arrival. According to her, this was due to the trauma and sorrow of the journey.
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422:"General Assembly Welcomes International Court of Justice Opinion on Chagos Archipelago, Adopts Text Calling for Mauritius' Complete Decolonization"
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She became involved with the Chagos
Refugees Group, one of the organisations representing the Chagossian people, during these visits to the Chagos.
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In
February 2022, Liseby took part, along with four other Chagossians, in a new journey to the northern atolls of the Chagos, Peros Banhos,
383:"Legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 (Request for Advisory Opinion) - Public hearings"
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401:"Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 - Summary of the Advisory Opinion"
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of the
Republic of Mauritius following her testimony before the International Court of Justice. At the end of 2022, on
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476:"Fête nationale : Marie Liseby Elysé accède au rang de MSK : " Je me sens très fière et contente ""
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brought to Chagos from the African coast. Her father, Charles Bertrand, was born in 1917 on the atoll of
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in September 2018, as part of the Mauritian delegation. On 25 February 2019, the Court handed down its
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advance, she did so by means of a pre-recorded video, but was nevertheless present at the hearing in
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Liseby Bertrand was born on 24 July 1953 on Île du Coin, the most densely populated island of the
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495:"Le Groupe réfugiés Chagos, Olivier Bancoult et Liseby Élysé candidats au Prix Nobel de la Paix"
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Island of shame: the secret history of the U.S. military base on Diego Garcia
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in 2019 in the case between Mauritius and the United Kingdom concerning
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In 2018, as Mauritius took the United Kingdom to the
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Between 1978 and 1984, Liseby Elysé received 57,500
440:"Chagos islanders in emotional, historic trip home"
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89:origin. She is known for her testimony before the
106:Youth in the Chagos Islands and life in Mauritius
85:; born 24 July 1953) is a Mauritian activist of
125:Like most Chagossians, she is a descendant of
254:Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean
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272:, President of the Chagos Refugees Group.
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336:. Princeton: Princeton university press.
158:forcibly expelled from the Chagos Islands
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95:sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago
518:. London: W&N. ISBN 9781474618120.
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361:. London: W&N. p. 72.
357:Sands, Philippe Joseph (2022).
307:Sands, Philippe Joseph (2022).
219:United Nations General Assembly
408:International Court of Justice
387:International Court of Justice
258:International Human Rights Day
201:International Court of Justice
91:International Court of Justice
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69:Chagos Refugees Group
332:Vine, David (2009).
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480:Le Défi Media Group
446:. 12 February 2022.
410:. 25 February 2019.
389:. 3 September 2018.
311:. London: W&N.
120:colony of Mauritius
116:Chagos archipelago
547:Mauritian Creoles
532:Chagossian people
499:L'Express Maurice
458:"THE LAST COLONY"
343:978-0-691-13869-5
266:Nobel Peace Prize
143:Chagossian Creole
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178:Port Louis
141:and speak
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206:The Hague
174:Mauritius
139:Catholics
101:Biography
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131:Six Îles
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262:Lyon
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