Key facts
- Jamaican officials will travel to the UK on September 6 to formally petition King Charles.
- The petition seeks legal advice from the Privy Council on whether the forced transport of Africans to Jamaica was lawful and constituted a crime against humanity.
- It also asks if Britain is obligated to provide restitution for slavery and its enduring consequences.
- The petition references the Zong slave ship incident where enslaved Africans were killed for insurance claims.
- Jamaica's government has already provided internal reparations to its Rastafarian community.
- The Caribbean Community Reparations Commission has outlined a manifesto for reparations.
Jamaican officials are set to travel to the United Kingdom on September 6 to formally present a petition to King Charles, seeking his intervention in their ongoing campaign for slavery reparations from Britain. The petition, announced by Culture Minister Olivia Grange, asks the King to use his authority to request legal advice from the judicial committee of the Privy Council.
The core of the petition questions the legality of the forced transport of Africans to Jamaica, whether it constituted a crime against humanity, and if Britain has an obligation to provide restitution for the enduring consequences of slavery. Grange emphasized that the request is made to King Charles in his capacity as head of state of Jamaica.
The planned trip follows the unveiling of a manifesto by the Caribbean Community Reparations Commission, which outlines the moral, ethical, and legal case for reparations. Laleta Davis Mattis, chair of Jamaica’s National Council on Reparations (NCR), described the petition as a significant milestone, highlighting the collaborative work of the NCR and UK lawyers, particularly crediting Frank Phipps KC for shaping the strategy.
Bert Samuels, deputy chair of the NCR, noted that Jamaica's case is bolstered by a recent UN resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. He stated that he would be part of a legal team, led by Attorney General Dr. Derrick McKoy, to argue the case before the Privy Council. Samuels expressed the country's resolve, drawing parallels to historical struggles for freedom, and warned of an international outcry if the Privy Council rejects the petition.