Why Jamaica is seeking $10bn in reparations from the UK
Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans toiled in Jamaica under more than 300 years of British rule.
A Jamaican delegation to the United Kingdom has said it will file a petition addressed to King Charles III to seek legal guidance on the question of slavery reparations.
This is the first time a British Commonwealth state will use this legal route “for the cause of reparatory justice”, the Jamaican delegation said, as the visit to London kicks off on Monday. King Charles is Jamaica’s head of state, as the country is yet to transition from a constitutional monarchy to a republic.
The Jamaican government estimates that the country is owed about $10bn, but the UK has repeatedly refused to pay for historical slavery.
In recent years, several Commonwealth nations have been demanding that the UK pay reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.