Jamaica seeks Privy Council review of slavery’s legality and reparations
Culture Minister Olivia Grange says Jamaica’s petition asks whether the capture, transportation and enslavement of Africans were lawful under English and international law.
Jamaica is seeking a legal review of Britain’s historical role in the capture, forced transportation and chattel enslavement of Africans in Jamaica, reframing its reparations campaign as a question of legal accountability.
Culture Minister Olivia Grange told France 24 that the initiative would begin by examining whether those acts were lawful, rather than first asking what Britain should pay.
A petition asks King Charles III, in his capacity as King of Jamaica, to refer three questions to the Privy Council. The proposed review would address English law, international law and whether Britain may owe Jamaica a reparatory remedy.
The legal status of slavery and the potential obligation to provide reparations remain the subject of the proposed review. The available material does not indicate that Jamaica has secured a legal ruling or reparations.
It is also unclear whether the King has accepted, or will make, the requested referral. The precise wording of the three questions and any timetable for consideration by the Privy Council have not been provided.
