牙买加代表团向查尔斯国王提交奴隲赔偿请愿书

牙买加国家赔偿委员会代表团已抵达英国，计划于周一向作为牙买加国家元首的查尔斯国王提交奴隲赔偿请愿书1。率领此次代表团的是牙买加文化部长奥利维亚·格兰奇，她于周末抵达伦敦1。

该请愿书要求国王行使权力，请求伦敦枢密院司法委员会提供法律意见，以确定非洲人被强制运往牙买加是否违法、是否构成反人类罪，以及英国是否有义务向牙买加提供奴隲赔偿1。这份请愿首次在去年6月宣布1。历史上，15至19世纪间超过1250万名非洲人被强制运往美洲贩卖为奴1。牙买加于2009年建立了加勒比地区第一个国家赔偿机制，此次举措是该国推进赔偿索赔的重要步骤1。

代表团还计划在11月举行的英联邦政府首脑会议上进行倡导，查尔斯国王将出席该会议，会议地点在安提瓜1。代表团将访问英国议会和大英博物馆，讨论牙买加文物的遣返问题1。今年3月，123个国家在联合国投票支持将奴隲贸易描述为最严重的反人类罪1。不过，英国前首相基尔·斯塔默曾在2024年10月拒绝在英联邦政府首脑会议议程中纳入赔偿问题1。

A Jamaican delegation led by Culture Minister Olivia Grange arrived in London over the weekend to submit a petition to King Charles III, who serves as Jamaica's head of state, calling for slavery reparations 1. The petition requests that the King use his authority to ask the Privy Council's Judicial Committee to provide legal guidance on whether the forced transportation of Africans to Jamaica constituted a violation of law, a crime against humanity, and whether Britain bears an obligation to provide reparations to Jamaica 1. The delegation will formally present the petition on Monday 1.

The petition represents a significant advancement in Jamaica's reparations efforts since establishing the National Reparations Mechanism in 2009 1. The Jamaican National Reparations Commission, accompanying Minister Grange, is seeking to address historical injustices tied to the transatlantic slave trade, during which more than 12.5 million Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas between the 15th and 19th centuries 1. The petition was first announced last June 1.

The timing of the delegation's visit aligns with broader international momentum on the issue. In March of this year, 123 countries voted at the United Nations to classify the slave trade as a crime against humanity 1. However, in October 2024, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to include reparations on the agenda of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1. The delegation plans to continue its advocacy efforts at the upcoming Commonwealth summit scheduled for November in Antigua, which King Charles will attend 1. During their UK visit, the delegation will also engage with Parliament and the British Museum to discuss the repatriation of Jamaican artifacts 1.