Portugal has to “pay costs” for its colonial past - President

Portugal’s president said late on Tuesday (Apr. 23) that his country was responsible for crimes committed during the transatlantic slave trade and the colonial era, and suggested there was a need for reparations.

"We have to pay the costs," Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said, adding Portugal should look for ways to repair crimes committed.

Last year, Portugal's president said his country should go beyond just an apology. He spoke at Portugal’s annual commemoration of the 1974 “Carnation” revolution, which toppled the country’s dictatorial system.

The colonial empire of Portugal which was established in the 15th century and existed until the XXth century, included dominions in Africa.

Portuguese Afrodescents have long denounced the portrayal in official curriculum of the country’s 15th to 17th-century so-called discoveries in Africa, Asia and the Americas.

It eventually stretched from the Americas to Japan.

Citing Brazil's Minister for Racial Equality, local media outlet G1 reported Wednesday (Apr. 24) that Brazil has contacted the Portuguese government to offer help in the process of developing reparation actions.

Last week, the UN human rights chief added his voice to those of African and Caribbean countries calling for amends to be made over slavery and colonisation.