Guyana’s president has called for those involved in the slave trade to be posthumously charged with crimes against humanity, ahead of a formal apology from the descendants of a British slave owner.

President Irfaan Ali has also said people whose ancestors profited from the transatlantic slave trade should pay reparations to today’s generations.

Mr Ali – who previously called for the UK to apologise for its role in slave trade – spoke as six members of the Gladstone family are planned to travel to Guyana to formally apologise on behalf of Scottish 19th-century sugar and coffee plantation owner John Gladstone.

He was the father of former British prime minister William Ewart Gladstone and while he never set foot in the South American country or the neighbouring West Indian islands, he owned more than 2,500 slaves in Guyana and Jamaica.

Gladstone was in charge when the 1823 slave rebellion began on his plantation at Success Village on Guyana’s east coast.

Records show hundreds of slaves were killed. Their heads were then chopped off and placed on poles which lined the road to the capital, Georgetown, as a reminder to other slaves.

Gladstone was paid more than £100,000 in compensation when slavery was abolished in 1833.

Guyana: 15-year-old girl charged as adult with murdering 19 people in school fire

Guyana school dormitory fire deliberately set by student upset her phone was confiscated, says official

At least 19 students killed in fire at secondary school dormitory in Guyana

Mr Ali has called for the family’s apology to go one step further and address the issues of compensation and reparative justice.

The president said that while he welcomes the family’s plans to acknowledge the past, it also implies “an acknowledgement of the cruel nature of African enslavement and indentureship in Guyana and an act of contrition that paves the way for justice”.

“The Gladstone family has admitted that it benefited from African enslavement and indentureship on the Demerara and other plantations owned by its patriarch, John Gladstone,” he added.

More world news:
Putin sends condolences after Prigozhin ‘death’
Donald Trump’s historic mugshot
What we learnt from India’s moon landing

Making the case for compensation, Mr Ali argued that “reparations [are] a commitment to righting historical wrongs”.

“The transatlantic slave trade and African enslavement were an affront to humanity itself,” he said. “The heinousness of this crime against humanity demands that we seek to right these wrongs.”

The 15 nations of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) bloc have already hired a British law firm to examine their case for compensation from Britain and other European nations.

“The descendants of John Gladstone must now also outline their plan of action in line with the Caricom… plan for reparatory justice for slavery and indentureship,” Mr Ali said.

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

The current plan includes the apology and investments in health, infrastructure, education and cultural revitalisation to make sure that “future generations are unshackled from the chains of history”.

The Gladstones will make their apology at the opening of the University of Guyana’s International Institute for Migration and Diaspora Studies, which they are reportedly helping to fund with a £100,000 grant.

The Gladstone family could not be immediately reached for comment.

Related posts:

‘They’re not patriots’: Fans who boo England’s taking the knee criticised ahead of Euro opener Air passenger numbers collapse – but which airports saw the biggest decline? Contingency plans needed for surge in COVID hospitalisations this summer, SAGE warns Dry ice pellets to blast leaves off train tracks to help cut delays Banksy designs and sells T-shirt to fund four accused of toppling slaver statue Another 633 Omicron cases found in the UK in biggest daily jump of the variant People ‘don’t misremember abuse by a prince’ – Giuffre lawyer criticises health records request Novak Djokovic criticises ‘crazy’ Wimbledon ban on Russian and Belarusian players Accused rapist was ‘struggling with sexuality’ at time she allegedly assaulted woman ‘Extremely dangerous’: Conspiracy theorist who planned terror attack to ‘topple government’ jailed Policeman sent ‘shocking’ racist message, contacted prostitutes, and went for an on-duty waxing, hearing told How is a by-election triggered – and why is resigning so complicated for MPs?