The President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, announced during a dinner with foreign correspondents in Portugal that Portugal “bears full responsibility” for the mistakes committed in the past, proposing to pay compensation for these crimes, including colonial massacres.
“We have to pay the costs. It's not just about apologizing for what we did, because sometimes apologizing is the easiest thing to do. You apologize, turn your back, and the work is done. No, it's about taking responsibility.” “For what we have done, whether good or bad, in the past,” the Portuguese leader said.
This statement from the Portuguese President comes after the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights added his voice to the voices of African and Caribbean countries, calling on countries that played a role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonialism to respond to requests for compensation.
Between the mid-15th century and the end of the 19th century, it is estimated that more than 12.5 million slaves were transported from Africa to the Americas and the islands of the Atlantic Ocean. More than one and a half million people died during the crossing.
