牙买加向国王查尔斯三世提交请愿书要求奴隶制赔偿

牙买加政府向英国国王查尔斯三世提交了请愿书，要求将跨大西洋奴隶贸易的法律问题提交给英王枢密院司法委员会审议 12。这份请愿书针对三个核心法律问题提出要求：非洲人在牙买加的奴役是否符合英国法律；是否违反国际法；英国是否有法律责任提供救济 1。

牙买加文化部长奥利维亚·格兰奇指出，英国在1833年废奴后向奴隶主支付了2000万英镑赔偿，而奴隶及其后代至今未获补偿 1。格兰奇表示："如果在现代我们仍在为被视为财产的我们的人民、我们的祖先支付奴隶主赔偿，那么为什么我们现在不应该寻求某种救济？" 1

牙买加政府表示，这将是英联邦国家首次采用法律途径追求奴隶制赔偿正义 1。加勒比共同体的23个国家支持这份请愿书 2。然而，英国政府已表示不会支付奴隶制赔偿 1。牙买加总理安德鲁·霍尼斯已宣布计划将国家转变为共和国，以打破与英国王室的关系 2。

Jamaica has submitted a petition to King Charles III requesting that questions regarding Britain's legal responsibility for slavery and reparations be referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council 12. The petition, presented on Monday, raises three core legal questions: whether the enslavement and transportation of Africans complied with British law, whether such actions violated international law, and whether Britain bears legal responsibility to provide redress 12.

Culture Minister Olivia Grange articulated the government's position on the historical disparity in compensation, stating: "If today we are still paying compensation to slave masters for our people, our ancestors who were treated as property, then why shouldn't we now be seeking some form of relief?" 1 Britain abolished slavery in 1833 and subsequently paid slave owners £20 million in compensation, while formerly enslaved people and their descendants have received no such payments 1. Britain's government has already declared it will not apologize for or pay reparations related to the slave trade 2.

The petition's timing coincides with the anniversary of the 1781 Zong slave ship incident, in which 132 of the 442 enslaved Africans aboard were thrown overboard 2. Jamaica's legal initiative represents the first attempt by a Commonwealth nation to pursue slavery reparations through judicial channels 1. The Caribbean Community, comprising 23 nations, has endorsed the petition 2. Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced plans to break ties with the British monarchy and transform the nation into a republic 2.