Suriname’s indigenous people are preparing a lawsuit against the government to enforce Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) judgements.
The Association of Indigenous Village Heads in Suriname (VIDS) also claims that the government of Chandrikapersad Santokhi has attempted to dupe them and that commitments made during a meeting with a government team last week have not been fulfilled.
Although the Amerindian tribes want discussion, they have stated that they would no longer rely on the government of this Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.
They have already informed the Surinamese embassies and international organizations of the government’s treatment of them, and a lawsuit is being prepared to force the government to implement international judgments so that indigenous people’s land rights are recognized by law.
The village chiefs refused to say whether the lawsuit would be brought before a local court or an international tribunal at the news conference.
However, indigenous peoples are requesting that the original draft law titled ‘Collective Rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples’ submitted to Parliament be studied and adopted. They claim that the proposal that is now on the agenda has been altered and supplemented in such a way that it disadvantages indigenous people.
Since the riots on May 2, police have maintained a large presence in the Pikin Saron and Bigi Poika villages, and the villagers say they feel frightened and are subjected to severe road inspections involving vehicle searches and house searches without the permission of the village leaders.
According to them, drones are also deployed during the operations, and shotguns, which are used for hunting, are confiscated.
Residents also claim that their freedom of movement is limited since state-owned firms with concessions and Dutch soldiers are training here.
Lloyd Read, the village chief of Pierre Kondre, said greed was to blame for the deaths of the two villagers who were shot by police and warned that if current trends continue, Suriname will become one of the countries where indigenous people are being massacred because of natural resources on their lands.
“What the hell do you expect from people who are being held hostage?” the Village Chief asked. “We’re not going to sit here and wait to see how they’re going to exterminate us.” We’ve always been there, and the grounds are there. Let them exterminate us if they desire the lands. The lands are then available. Get it yourself. Read exclaimed, “Over our dead bodies!”
Meanwhile, debate on the draft law ‘Collective Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Tribal Peoples’ has begun in Parliament, with some legislators pointing out shortcomings, conflicting sections, and contradictions.
The meeting will resume on Tuesday.
