King Charles Refers Jamaica’s Slavery Reparations Petition to Privy Council

UNITED KINGDOM – King Charles III has referred Jamaica’s petition seeking legal advice on slavery and reparations to Jamaica’s highest court of appeal, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.

The petition asks the king, as Jamaica’s head of state, to refer three legal questions to the Privy Council for advice.

The questions concern whether the forced transportation and enslavement of africans in Jamaica under British rule were lawful, whether the actions violated international law, and whether the United Kingdom has a legal obligation to provide a remedy for the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica and its continuing consequences.

Grange said Jamaica is now awaiting directions from the Privy Council on the next steps and that the attorney general is preparing to handle the case.