PHILIPSBURG:— The Parliament of St. Maarten has taken another step forward as they push for the decolonization process to continue for the former Netherlands Antilles. In so doing they have submitted a petition to the Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Related Intolerance as well as to the Working Group of Experts on the People of African Descent.
The Petition was submitted on March 9th, 2021, on behalf of the Parliament of St. Maarten as the Kingdom prepares for General Election on Wednesday, March 17th, 2021.
Petitioners, the Parliament, and citizens of Sint Maarten (“Petitioners”), respectfully bring to the attention of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia,
and related intolerance (“Special Rapporteur”) and of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (“Working Group”) the persistent acts of racial discrimination and violations of international human rights law by the Kingdom of the Netherlands (“Netherlands”) against Petitioners and others similarly situated in the islands of Aruba and Curaçao as well as in the special municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba—together, the six islands of the former Netherlands Antilles.
