A high-level United Kingdom appeals court has set a date to hear Jamaica\u2019s petition for legal advice on its claim for slavery reparations from the UK, the Jamaican government has said.<\/p>\n
Olivia Grange<\/a>, Jamaica\u2019s minister of culture, confirmed in a statement that a hearing had been provisionally set for the week of 8 March, 2027 by the London-based privy council, the final court of appeal for UK overseas territories and some Commonwealth countries.<\/p>\n The statement added that the UK had until November this year to file its case.<\/p>\n Last month, Grange led a Jamaican delegation to London to file the petition with King Charles, Jamaica\u2019s head of state. It seeks guidance on three questions: whether the forced transport of Africans to Jamaica<\/a> was lawful; whether it constituted a crime against humanity; and whether Britain is under an obligation to provide restitution for slavery and its enduring consequences.<\/p>\n On 23 September, Grange announced in Jamaica\u2019s parliament that King Charles had referred the matter to the privy council<\/a>. Describing the referral as a \u201cbig deal\u201d, she told parliament: \u201cThe king could have ignored us. The king could have delayed responding to us. The king could have made a decision not to refer the questions to the privy council, or he could make a decision to refer the questions.\u201d<\/p>\n