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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Dalya Alberge

Return looted shipwreck treasures to countries of origin as reparations for slavery, says lawyer

The galleon San José was sunk by British forces near Colombia in 1708.
The galleon San José was sunk by British forces near Colombia in 1708. Photograph: Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy

Shipwrecked colonial treasures that have lain on the seabed for centuries could be recovered and returned to their countries of origin as reparations for slavery.

Tim Maxwell, an international cultural heritage lawyer, said repatriating artefacts found underwater could help former colonial powers meet moral obligations to countries they had historically exploited for their transatlantic trade.

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