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There have been numerous incidents of self-harm and suicide attempts among migrants.
Migrants stuck for years on the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia will be offered the right to come to the UK, under a government proposal.
Around 60 Sri Lankan Tamils spent more than three years in a makeshift camp on the island, which houses a secret UK-US military base, after becoming the first to apply there asylum.
The government had previously opposed the group's establishment in the UK and complex legal battles took place for years over their fate.
In a letter released Monday, government lawyers said that “upon further review” the government had proposed a “policy change.”
Under this text, “all families, children and unaccompanied men who do not have any outstanding criminal convictions, charges or investigations would be offered the opportunity to be transferred directly to the United Kingdom. United.”
He added that work on the bid was “ongoing” and a formal decision would be made within 48 hours. “Details will be provided as soon as possible,” he said.
In a phone call with one of the Tamils, an official said the decision to bring them to the UK was due to the island's “exceptional circumstances”, adding that entry would be for “a short period “.
The Prime Minister's official spokesperson told reporters at a daily Downing Street press briefing that “the Government has inherited a deeply troubling situation which was not resolved under the previous administration in relation to concerns migrants arriving in Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia has clearly never been a suitable long-term location for migrants.”
He added that “the Government is working to find a solution that protects their well-being and the integrity of Britain's territorial borders.”
Lawyers representing the Tamils described the ruling as a “very welcome step” in a “long battle for justice”.
“After three years of living in inhumane conditions and having to repeatedly fight various injustices in court, Her Majesty's Government (HMG) has decided that our clients should now come directly to the UK. We hope that HMG will now take urgent action to give effect to this decision,” Simon Robinson of British law firm Duncan Lewis told the BBC.
“Today’s decision is a huge relief for our clients and we urge the Home Secretary to close the camp and bring our clients here without further delay,” said Tom Short, Leigh Day’s lawyer. .
“It seems like a dream. I don’t know what to think,” said a Tamil man after receiving a call from an official telling him the news.
The UK had previously offered some members of the group a temporary move to Romania with the possibility of coming to the UK afterwards. Others were offered financial incentives to return to Sri Lanka.
The latest development comes after the UK announced last month that it was handing over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory (Biot), which includes Diego Garcia, to Mauritius. The military base will, however, remain on the island.
Under a separate agreement reached last month, future migrants arriving in Biot before the agreement with Mauritius comes into force will be transferred to the island of Saint Helena, another British territory about 5 000 miles.
In court on Monday, lawyers said three people with criminal convictions could be sent to the island of Montserrat – a British territory in the Caribbean – to serve their sentences.
The BBC recently gained unprecedented access to Diego Garcia to attend a court hearing to determine whether the Tamils were unlawfully detained.
During their visit, the migrants walked through the courthouse through the military tents in which they lived, pointing out humidity, tears in the canvas, droppings and a rats' nest above one of the beds.
Over the past three years, there have been multiple hunger strikes on the island, as well as numerous incidents of self-harm and suicide attempts, following which some people were transferred to Rwanda to receive medical care.
“I’ve been in a cage for three years. Now they are releasing me but I don't know what to do. I feel a little empty,” said one man in Rwanda.
“I am very happy because I am coming to the UK. I thought they would send me to another country.
The group includes 16 children. Most are awaiting a final decision on their applications for international protection – which the United Nations says is akin to refugee status – or are appealing a refusal. In total, eight have been granted international protection.
