The Mennonites who sought to stop their expulsion from Suriname through a second summary proceeding have withdrawn their claim for suspension of the expulsion. The six people who remained in Suriname after the deportation of most of the group have indicated that they also wish to leave the country in order to be reunited with their family members.
The District Court judge in the Eerste Kanton established this in a procedural order on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. A decision on the remaining claims, in particular the legal costs, will follow on Monday, November 9 at 1:30 p.m.
This is evident from the explanation provided by press judge Marjory Sanches, who presented the contents of the procedural order to journalists on Tuesday afternoon. The summary proceedings had been brought against the State of Suriname on October 29 on behalf of 56 Mennonites. The case was heard orally on Monday, November 2.
Lawyer Derrick Veira had demanded on behalf of those concerned, among other things, that the State immediately suspend the planned expulsion. He also demanded that his clients be able to exercise their right to legal assistance and that he be granted access to them.
The lawyer wanted to attach a penalty payment of SRD 10 million per day to the requested court orders. It was also requested that the State be ordered to pay the legal costs, including an amount of SRD 150,000 for the authorised representative’s fee.
Mothers left behind choose family reunification
The situation changed after most of the Mennonites were expelled from Suriname last weekend. Six people, including three mothers with their babies, remained behind at the reception location in Kraka. During the hearing on November 2, it was agreed that lawyer Veira would visit his clients who had remained behind to determine whether they wished to continue their legal proceedings.
According to the press judge, the procedural order shows that the lawyer spoke with his clients. In a statement filed on Tuesday, November 3, he informed the court that the mothers no longer had an interest in preventing their expulsion. They chose to also be expelled on November 3 in the context of family reunification, so that they could rejoin their family members who had left earlier.
The claims for suspension of the expulsion and the associated penalty payments were then withdrawn. The procedural order confirms their wish to leave, but does not in itself confirm that the expulsion has actually taken place in the meantime.
Judge has not yet issued a substantive ruling
The District Court judge did not issue a substantive ruling on Tuesday on the lawfulness of the expulsion in this second summary proceeding. According to the press judge’s explanation, the matter of legal costs mainly remains. The judge determined that a final ruling will be issued on Monday, November 9, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. on the remaining claims, in particular the legal costs. The withdrawal therefore does not mean that the judge substantively rejected the Mennonites’ original objections.
Mennonites invoke prior government permission
The explanation of the procedural order further shows that the claimants had argued that they had come to the country at the invitation of the Surinamese government to undertake agricultural activities. According to them, permission had previously been granted for the arrival of fifty families.
Those concerned stated that they had submitted applications for a machtiging tot kort verblijf (MKV, short-stay authorisation) in 2024, but had received no response. As a result, they would have been unable to go through the further process to obtain the required residence documents.
They also argued that they had learned through the media that their applications had been rejected. A request was subsequently made to the president to review the decision. The State disputed this legal argumentation. According to the defence cited by the press judge, the Vreemdelingenwet does not provide the possibility invoked by the claimants to request a review of the decision taken. The judge did not issue a substantive ruling on these conflicting positions in the procedural order issued on Tuesday.
Nationality of babies born in Suriname not assessed
Questions were also raised during the press briefing about the legal position of children born in Suriname to foreign parents. The press judge clarified that the procedural order contains no ruling on the nationality of the babies left behind. Whether a child born in Suriname possesses Surinamese nationality must be assessed separately on the basis of the applicable nationality legislation and the circumstances of the individual case.
Among other things, the nationality held by the parents and whether the child is entitled to that nationality under the legislation of another country play a role. The judge did not rule on this in these proceedings.
Second lawsuit after earlier rejection
The withdrawn request follows an earlier summary proceeding in which Suriname Green Energy Agriculture N.V. sought to prevent the expulsion of the Mennonites. On Thursday, October 29, the District Court judge rejected those claims. It was established that earlier government commitments concerning cooperation with the agricultural project did not create an unconditional right to reside in Suriname.
Key News previously reported on the expulsion of the Mennonites before their second summary proceeding could be concluded substantively. With the withdrawal of the claims to stop the deportation, the main objective of the second proceedings has lapsed. However, the legal settlement has not yet been fully completed. On November 9, it must become clear how the District Court judge will decide on the remaining claims and the legal costs.
