Esav vraagt president om directe ingreep in strafzaak Pikin Saron

The Indigenous Platform Unity Solidarity Alliance and Progress (Esav) has submitted a petition to President Jennifer Simons, demanding the immediate release or pardon of five Indigenous men involved in the Pikin Saron legal case. Esav also called for a fully independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of Martinus Wolfjager and Ivanildo Dijksteel, urging accountability for those responsible. Additionally, the platform advocated for the establishment of a Ministry of Indigenous Affairs. The petition highlights the escalating tensions over land rights in Pikin Saron, which reached a boiling point on May 2, 2023, when residents took drastic measures after repeated protests, negotiations, and petitions failed to yield results. This led to the hostage-taking of officials and the burning of vehicles and buildings. During the police intervention, two Indigenous men lost their lives. The five suspects initially received an eight-year prison sentence, with their appeal still pending. A separate case against seven police officers suspected of involvement in the deaths of Wolfjager and Dijksteel is also ongoing. Esav further demanded a thorough police investigation into the disappearance of a third Indigenous man during the incident, a review of the proposed 5-kilometer zone around Indigenous villages, formal recognition of demarcation maps for each Indigenous village through VIDS, full acknowledgment of self-determination rights and cultural heritage, and an immediate investigation into environmental pollution in Maripaston and tensions surrounding Grassalco in Pikin Saron and Bigi Poika. The petition was received at the President’s Cabinet by Chief of Staff Sergio Akiemboto, who emphasized that no land rights issue worldwide has been fully resolved within a single term. However, he suggested the necessity of a temporary law to immediately halt or strictly regulate land distribution in Indigenous and Maroon residential areas to prevent a recurrence of Pikin Saron. Esav also presented the same petition to National Assembly Chairman Ashwin Adhin.