Expression
President Santokhi’s legal actions against book
On 26th January 2024, President Chan Santokhi filed a lawsuit against De Ware Tijd (The True Time), one of the four daily newspapers in Paramaribo, requesting the removal of the cover photo of the book ‘Corruption at the Highest Level: Doing Business in Suriname’ by Dutch entrepreneur Gerard van den Bergh. The book— which features the President of Suriname, Minister of Agriculture for Livestock and Fisheries, and Parmanand Sewdien on its cover— addresses corruption in Suriname. Van den Bergh, a Dutch citizen and former owner of a duck farm in Suriname, claimed that the government of Suriname was responsible for his business’s bankruptcy.
De Ware Tijd has stated that they do not intend to remove the cover photo on Gerard van den Bergh’s book. It also said, “When a president in a democratic country demands that a media outlet remove factual content, it raises concerns about the state of press freedom in that country. While the head of state may have a legitimate grievance regarding the unauthorised use of his photo by the book’s author, the request for the newspaper to remove a factual image crosses a line and appears to be an act of censorship.”
Some bookstores removed the book amid legal threats. On 30th January 2024, Bookstore Vaco removed copies of the book from its shelves and initiated a recall of sold copies. This decision followed legal pressure from President Santokhi, who summoned Vaco on 25th January 2024 to withdraw the book due to defamation concerns.
In response, on 1st February, the Surinamese Association of Journalists (SVJ) condemned President Chan Santokhi’s attempts to suppress the book and censor media coverage of it. “The SVJ’s alarm is not triggered by the book’s subject matter or the individuals discussed within its pages. Instead, the association’s concern lies deeply in the potential infringement on fundamental rights—freedom of expression and press freedom.”
The SVJ criticised President Santokhi for using his political position to pre-emptively ban the book and censor media coverage, viewing this as a direct challenge to the separation of powers and an infringement on press freedom. “The response from Vaco bookstore, which complied with the president’s summons without awaiting a judicial verdict, and the president’s selective targeting of De Ware Tijd, despite similar coverage by other media outlets, further underscores the SVJ’s concerns about the erosion of journalistic independence and freedom of expression in Suriname.”
According to media reports, on 12th February, the Justice Intervention Team (JIT), operating under the authority of the public prosecutor, seized copies of the book and investigated purchasers, asking them to return their copies voluntarily. On the same day, freelance journalist Irwin Wist reportedly went into hiding, fearing retaliation from the JIT due to his work. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the book’s author sent 70 copies for sale through Bookstore Vaco, of which 12 were intended as gifts to individuals specified by the author to publicise them in the media.
The next day, the Public Prosecutor's Office issued a press release clarifying that there was no directive to trace purchasers of the book and that no orders existed to detain or deport a journalist.
In March 2024, a Dutch judge declared that the book did not accuse the Surinamese President of corruption. The judge ruled that the right to freedom of expression outweighed the right to respect for private life.
Peaceful Assembly
Paramaribo protesters demand accountability over alleged corruption among top official
On 1st March, dozens of people took to the streets in Paramaribo to denounce alleged corruption among high-ranking government officials. The protesters also expressed support for the Attorney General, who has requested that the National Assembly charge the President and two ministers in connection with alleged corruption in the Pan-American Real Estate case.