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world news Diamars 22 maart 2022

Jamaicans shun UK royal visit, demand slavery reparations

(AP) — Dozens of well- Africans known as Jamai-
known leaders in Jamaica can Maroons whose guer-
including professors and rilla warfare became renown
politicians are demand- and battered British forces.
ing an apology and slavery “Queen Nanny” remains the
reparations as the Duke sole female of Jamaica’s eight
and Duchess of Cam- national heroes.
bridge prepare for a trip
to the former British col- During their two-day stay in
ony. Jamaica, Prince William and
Kate are expected to celebrate
The group is rejecting the Bob Marley’s legacy, a move
visit of Prince William and that also has riled some Ja-
Kate scheduled for Tuesday, maicans.
part of a larger trip to the Ca-
ribbean region that coincides “As a Rastafarian, Bob Mar-
with the 60th anniversary of ley embodied advocacy and
Jamaica’s independence and is recognized globally for the
the 70th anniversary of the principles of human rights,
coronation of Queen Eliza- equality, reparations and re-
beth II. patriation,” stated the letter
of those demanding an apol-
“We see no reason to cel- ogy.
ebrate 70 years of the ascen-
sion of your grandmother to The group said that it would
the British throne because be celebrating 60 years of
her leadership, and that of freedom from Britain, adding
her predecessors, have per- to strengthen Britain’s ties Jamaica has angered some of human life and labor.” that it is saddened “that more
petuated the greatest human with Commonwealth coun- who say they are still waiting progress has not been made
rights tragedy in the history tries, but it’s off to a rocky for an apology and slavery “An apology really admits that given the burden of our co-
of humankind,” read a letter start and comes as some reparations. there is some guilt,” he said. lonial inheritance. We none-
published Sunday ahead of countries consider cutting theless celebrate the many
the couple’s visit and signed ties to the monarchy like the Jamaica lawmaker Mike Hundreds of thousands of achievements of great Jamai-
by 100 Jamaican leaders. eastern Caribbean island of Henry, who has long led an African slaves toiled in Jamai- cans who rejected negative,
Barbados did in November. effort to obtain reparations ca under more than 300 years colonial self-concepts and
The weeklong royal tour of that he estimates at more of British rule and faced bru- who self-confidently suc-
Central America and the Ca- Local opposition forced the than 7 billion pounds, told tal conditions. There were ceeded against tremendous
ribbean that began on Satur- royal couple to cancel a visit The Associated Press in a numerous bloody rebel- odds. We will also remember
day was taken at the behest of to a cacao farm in Belize that phone interview that an apol- lions, with one woman called and celebrate our freedom
the queen, who is William’s was planned for Saturday, ogy is only the first step for “Queen Nanny” leading a fighters.”
grandmother. The trip aims while the upcoming trip to what he described as “abuse group of formerly enslaved

Anti-corruption Guatemalan judge resigns and flees to the US

(AP) — A Guatemalan country in recent months looking to arrest those who Aifán said she had felt partic- suelo Porras, whose visa was
judge considered key in after the government had oversee corruption cases. ular pressure from Guatema- canceled by the U.S. govern-
fighting corruption an- started investigations or even lan Attorney General Con- ment because of corruption
nounced her resignation concerns.
on Monday and that she
has decided to leave the “She has manipulated the
Central American coun- Prosecutor’s office, pros-
try. ecuting those of us who
have worked to fight against
Judge Erika Aifán has pre- impunity and corruption,”
sided over corruption cases Aifán said.
against businessmen, offi-
cials, judges and lawmakers, One of Aifán’s most recent
and she was recently over- cases was an investigation
seeing an investigation about about alleged illegal funding
alleged irregularities during to Giammattei’s presidential
current President Alejan- campaign in 2019. The Presi-
dro Giammattei’s campaign. dent has denied any wrong-
She has been pursued by her doing.
own colleagues and she faces
at least 20 legal complaints The U.N. and the U.S. gov-
for allegedly overstepping, ernment had criticized and
something she denies. condemned in the past what
they have considered “harass-
“They left me no other op- ment” of the judge.
tion,” she said to The Asso-
ciated Press on a phone con- In July 2021, the U.S. gov-
versation from Washington, ernment announced the sus-
where she fled. pension of its cooperation
with Guatemala’s Attorney
Aifán is the latest case of General’s Office in response
other Guatemalan judges and to the firing of its then top
prosecutors who have left the anti-corruption prosecutor.