KINGSTON, Jamaica — A hearing on Jamaica’s petition concerning the legality of the British enslavement of Africans and whether Britain owes the Jamaican people a reparatory remedy has been provisionally scheduled for the week of 8 March 2027.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange announced the development in an update issued on Thursday, 15 October 2026.
“A hearing has been provisionally set for the week of March 8, 2027,” Grange said.
Citing information from the Registrar of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the minister said the respondent, representing the UK Government, had been given until 20 November 2026 to file its case.
Jamaica submitted the petition to King Charles III on 7 September 2026, asking him to refer questions concerning the British enslavement of Africans in Jamaica to the Privy Council for determination. According to Grange’s update, the King referred the petition to the Judicial Committee.
The petition asks whether the capture, transportation and enslavement of Africans in Jamaica were ever lawful under English law; whether those acts breached international law; and whether the United Kingdom owes the people of Jamaica a reparatory remedy.
The announcement does not constitute a ruling on the petition or an award of reparations. The hearing date remains provisional at this stage.
