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NLJ this week: The case for reparations for the transatlantic slave trade

26 May 2023
Issue: 8026 / Categories: Legal News , International justice , Equality , Public
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Could a legal claim for reparations for the transatlantic slave trade succeed? Thomas Roe KC of 3 Hare Court considers a range of possibilities and potential obstacles to such a claim, in this week’s NLJ.

Roe asks: do states have a tenable claim in public international law against states complicit in the transatlantic slave trade? He covers accounts of the trade itself from a book written by an enslaved man who later managed to buy his freedom, and published in 1789. He considers jurisdiction, the intertemporal rule, and other factors.

The CARICOM Reparations Commission was established in 2013 to prepare the case for reparatory justice for descendants.

However, Roe suggests, the route to justice is far from straightforward—read more here.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
County court cases are speeding up, with the median time from claim to hearing 62 weeks for fast, intermediate and multi-track claims—5.4 weeks faster than last year
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has secured £1.1m in its first use of an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO)

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