From Caribbean News Service

ARAMARIBO, Suriname, Apr 26 2017 – Trade unions and other civil groups say they will be filing a lawsuit against the Desi Bouterse government for violating their fundamental rights.

The unions and other groups have been staging protests against the government for several days and the legal action followed moves by authorities on Tuesday to prevent the organizations from holding a demonstration at Independence Square in the capital, Paramaribo.

Initially the unions planned to present a petition to the Speaker of the House and applied for a license as is required by law.

However, the District Commissioner changed the planned route of the protest march unilaterally and without the consent of the applicants for the license. As a result, the protesters were not allowed to enter the Independence Square.

Only six protestors were allowed to move into the National Assembly to present the petition to the Speaker, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, who has promised to launch an investigation as to why the protesters were barred from the square.

“This is a violation of our fundamental right to hold peaceful demonstrations everywhere in the country”, said Robby Naarendorp, Secretary-General of the C-47 trade union, noting this is the first time ever that a group was denied access to the Independent Square to demonstrate.

“The Square is not the property of the president”, said Curtis Hofwijks of the activist movement ‘We zijn moe’ (We Are Fed Up).

For the sixth time this month, thousands of people chanting anti-government slogans took to the streets to protest against government mismanagement and calling on the government to revoke the price hike for fuel “which affects all segments of society”.

Meanwhile opposition parties are mobilizing for a mass rally against the government next month.

Last week, the protestors challenged leaders of the opposition to bring along their supporters to the marches.

For more on this story go to: http://caribbeannewsservice.com/now/suriname-protests-escalate/