As the fervour for prosecution of historic crimes continues, Portugal is now in the line of fire – and the issue could hardly be more historic.
Caricom, short for the Caribbean Community, is hoping to make Portugal pay for the years of genocide and enslavement of its ancestors that took place centuries ago.
Caricom is also seeking damages from Spain, UK, France, Holland and Sweden.
Don Rojas, communications director for the NGO “Institute of the Black World 21st Century” told Spanish news agency Efe that Caricom’s plan was backed by “an excellent document” that provided “a structure for future negotiations with old colonial powers that had benefitted from the commerce of slavery”.
Caricom’s plan was under discussion this week in the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, with 19 countries taking part. The community’s president Baldwin Spencer said: “The atrocities committed against our people were among the worst examples of human barbarity.”
