The Accompong Maroons have filed a lawsuit to end their longstanding discussion with the Government of Jamaica about the ownership of lands in the Cockpit Country.

The Supreme Court is to hold the first hearing on July 12 in the claim which was filed last month against the Government and the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.

 

Chief of the Accompong Maroons, Richard Currie, says among the declarations being sought is the Maroons' right to ancestral lands in the Cockpit Country under the 1738 Maroon Treaty.

 

Chief Currie says the Fixed Date Claim filed on May 6 outlines redress for a declaration of title under the Registration of Titles Act without prejudice to Maroon sovereignty.

 

The lawsuit also outlines violations of constitutionally protected rights to private property, the observation of political doctrines, as well as trespass on the Maroon estate, which Chief Currie says has been "unlawfully permitted" by the Government of Jamaica to be mined for bauxite and other raw materials, including lithium. 

 

According to the Accompong chief, the Fixed Date Claim has been precisely constructed to allow the court, "for the first time in history, to construe exactly how the 1738 Maroon Treaty remains in force under the 1962 Order in Council Constitution of Jamaica".  

 

Chief Currie says the Maroons are not seeking a declaration on sovereignty.

 

He, however, claims that there have been acts of intimidation, including threats against his life.

 

He says the intimidation and the failure of the Government to resolve the land issue through discussions are among the reasons for the lawsuit.