26 Jun 2025 17:24 PM Jamaica to take fight for slavery reparations to King Charles
Jamaica will ask King Charles to request legal advice from the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the final court of appeal for UK overseas territories and some Commonwealth nations, on the issue of slavery reparations.
Under the Judicial Committee Act of 1833, Charles, who remains Jamaica's head of state after the country gained independence from Britain in 1962, has the authority to refer matters to the council for consideration.
Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were shipped to Jamaica, and many scholars and advocates say the legacy of that period has resulted in or played a role in today's inequities.
Calls for reparations are longstanding and moves such as the appeal to Charles help to keep the topic in the public spotlight. A backlash against it has also been growing, and many of Europe's leaders have opposed even talking about it.
Jamaica's culture minister, Olivia Grange, said her government was seeking the council to consider whether the forced transport of enslaved Africans to Jamaica and their subsequent enslavement was lawful, and if it constituted a crime against humanity.
It is also calling on the council to examine whether Britain is "under an obligation to provide a remedy" to Jamaica, not only for slavery but also for its enduring consequences.
"We will be submitting a petition to His Majesty King Charles III to refer to the Privy Council a set of questions that we want answered within his current position as head of state of Jamaica," Grange said in the Jamaican parliament on Tuesday.
Nicola Diggle, an expert in Privy Council appeals at London law firm Blake Morgan, said the monarch could refer any matter to the council. Lower courts in countries such as Jamaica, where the council is the final court of appeal, can also refer cases.
However, it may decide the matter is unsuitable for its opinion.
The legal weight of the council's recommendations can vary. They could either be treated as a court judgment or non-enforceable legal opinions.
Charles expressed deep sorrow over slavery in a speech to Commonwealth leaders in 2022 but Britain, like other former colonial powers, has so far rejected demands for reparations.
The petition comes after Jamaica's government presented a bill in December last year to ditch the king as head of state.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nahar Net
an hour ago
- Nahar Net
Trump says 'not going to stand' for Netanyahu's continued prosecution
by Naharnet Newsdesk 29 June 2025, 12:17 U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States was "not going to stand" for the continued prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges. "The United States of America spends Billions of Dollar a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. Netanyahu responded on X, saying "thank you again" and promising that "together, we... will make the Middle East Great Again!". An Israeli court on Friday rejected Netanyahu's request to postpone giving testimony in his corruption trial, ruling that he had not provided adequate justification for his request. In one case, Netanyahu and his wife Sara are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewelry and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favors. In two other cases, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favorable coverage from two Israeli media outlets. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing and has thanked Trump for his support in Israel's war with Iran, which saw a ceasefire agreement earlier this week. His lawyer had asked the court to excuse the leader from hearings over the next two weeks, saying he needs to concentrate on "security issues." Trump on Wednesday sprung to Netanyahu's defense, describing the case against him as a "witch hunt." On Saturday, he described Netanyahu as a "War Hero" and said the case would distract the prime minister from negotiations with Iran and with Hamas, the Gaza-based Palestinian armed group that Israel is at war with. "This travesty of 'Justice' will interfere with both Iran and Hamas negotiations," said Trump, although it was unclear what negotiations he was referring to with regards to Iran. Hamas took 251 hostages during its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, with 49 still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Talks are ongoing for the return of the remaining hostages and the bodies of those killed, while Israel's punishing war on Gaza continues unabated. The U.S. leader also likened Netanyahu's legal troubles to his own before he took office for his second term. "It is a POLITICAL WITCH HUNT, very similar to the Witch Hunt that I was forced to endure," said Trump. The Republican was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in May 2024 in a case related to hush money payments to a porn star. Trump also faced two federal cases, one related to his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Nahar Net
2 days ago
- Nahar Net
Iran's top diplomat says talks with US 'complicated' by American strike on nuclear sites
by Naharnet Newsdesk 27 June 2025, 15:17 Iran's top diplomat said the possibility of new negotiations with the United States on his country's nuclear program has been "complicated" by the American attack on three of the sites, which he conceded caused "serious damage." The U.S. was one of the parties to the 2015 nuclear deal in which Iran agreed to limits on its uranium enrichment program in exchange for sanctions relief and other benefits. That deal unraveled after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out unilaterally during his first term. Trump has suggested he is interested in new talks with Iran and said the two sides would meet next week. In an interview on Iranian state television broadcast late Thursday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left open the possibility that his country would again enter talks on its nuclear program, but suggested it would not be anytime soon. "No agreement has been made for resuming the negotiations," he said. "No time has been set, no promise has been made, and we haven't even talked about restarting the talks." The American decision to intervene militarily "made it more complicated and more difficult" for talks on Iran's nuclear program, Araghchi said. In Friday prayers, many imams stressed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's message from the day before that the war had been a victory for Iran. Cleric Hamzeh Khalili, who also is the deputy chief justice of Iran, vowed during a prayer service in Tehran that the courts would prosecute people accused of spying for Israel "in a special way." During the war with Israel, Iran hanged several people who it already had in custody on espionage charges, sparking fears from activists that it could conduct a wave of executions after the conflict ended. Authorities reportedly have detained dozens in various cities on the charge of cooperation with Israel. Israel attacked Iran on June 13, targeting its nuclear sites, defense systems, high-ranking military officials and atomic scientists in relentless attacks. In 12 days of strikes, Israel said it killed some 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group. Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people. Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen Effie Defrin said Friday that in some areas it had exceeded its operational goals, but needed to remain vigilant. "We are under no illusion, the enemy has not changed its intentions," he said. The U.S. stepped in on Sunday to hit Iran's three most important strikes with a wave of cruise missiles and bunker-buster bombs dropped by B-2 bombers, designed to penetrate deep into the ground to damage the heavily-fortified targets. Iran, in retaliation, fired missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday but caused no known casualties. Trump said the American attacks "completely and fully obliterated" Iran's nuclear program, though Khamenei on Thursday accused the U.S. president of exaggerating the damage, saying the strikes did not "achieve anything significant." There has been speculation that Iran moved much of its highly-enriched uranium before the strikes, something that it told the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, that it planned to do. Even if that turns out to be true, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi told Radio France International that the damage done to the Fordo site, which was built into a mountain, "is very, very, very considerable." Among other things, he said, centrifuges are "quite precise machines" and it's "not possible" that the concussion from multiple 30,000-pound bombs would not have caused "important physical damage." "These centrifuges are no longer operational," he said. Araghchi himself acknowledged "the level of damage is high, and it's serious damage." He added that Iran had not yet decided whether to allow in IAEA inspectors to assess the damage, but they would be kept out "for the time being."
MTV Lebanon
3 days ago
- MTV Lebanon
26 Jun 2025 17:24 PM Jamaica to take fight for slavery reparations to King Charles
Jamaica will ask King Charles to request legal advice from the London-based Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the final court of appeal for UK overseas territories and some Commonwealth nations, on the issue of slavery reparations. Under the Judicial Committee Act of 1833, Charles, who remains Jamaica's head of state after the country gained independence from Britain in 1962, has the authority to refer matters to the council for consideration. Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were shipped to Jamaica, and many scholars and advocates say the legacy of that period has resulted in or played a role in today's inequities. Calls for reparations are longstanding and moves such as the appeal to Charles help to keep the topic in the public spotlight. A backlash against it has also been growing, and many of Europe's leaders have opposed even talking about it. Jamaica's culture minister, Olivia Grange, said her government was seeking the council to consider whether the forced transport of enslaved Africans to Jamaica and their subsequent enslavement was lawful, and if it constituted a crime against humanity. It is also calling on the council to examine whether Britain is "under an obligation to provide a remedy" to Jamaica, not only for slavery but also for its enduring consequences. "We will be submitting a petition to His Majesty King Charles III to refer to the Privy Council a set of questions that we want answered within his current position as head of state of Jamaica," Grange said in the Jamaican parliament on Tuesday. Nicola Diggle, an expert in Privy Council appeals at London law firm Blake Morgan, said the monarch could refer any matter to the council. Lower courts in countries such as Jamaica, where the council is the final court of appeal, can also refer cases. However, it may decide the matter is unsuitable for its opinion. The legal weight of the council's recommendations can vary. They could either be treated as a court judgment or non-enforceable legal opinions. Charles expressed deep sorrow over slavery in a speech to Commonwealth leaders in 2022 but Britain, like other former colonial powers, has so far rejected demands for reparations. The petition comes after Jamaica's government presented a bill in December last year to ditch the king as head of state.
