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Olivia Grange leads Jamaican delegation to petition King Charles for slavery reparations

Jamaica will petition King Charles on Monday to seek legal clarity on slavery reparations. Culture Minister Olivia Grange is leading a delegation to ask the monarch to refer three questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the country's highest court of appeal. The questions focus on whether the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was legal under English law, whether it broke international law, and whether Britain has a legal duty to provide redress. This petition marks the first time a Commonwealth country has used this legal route to pursue reparatory justice. Olivia Grange noted that Britain paid slave masters compensation until 2015, and argued that if the country was still paying for the property of ancestors, it should now pursue a remedy for the people themselves. The delegation will also meet with British Museum officials to discuss the return of colonial-era artefacts. Buckingham Palace stated that King Charles has expressed a commitment to promoting understanding regarding the issue of slavery and finding ways to address historic wrongs.

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