Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologizes for the Dutch state’s role in slavery

The Court held Suriname responsible for failures to investigate the 1986 attack and for violations connected to displacement and community rights. The judgment recognized that state violence had...

The mini-conference’s final declaration provided for the three islands to become public bodies within the Netherlands, while Curaçao and Sint Maarten would become countries in the Kingdom. The...

The parties agreed on measures and criteria for Curaçao and Sint Maarten to become countries within the Kingdom. The settlement followed referenda and negotiations, while leaving the distribution of...

Voters approved the proposed process for becoming an autonomous country within the Kingdom as the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved. The result reflected a negotiated status change, not...

The Netherlands Antilles ceased to exist. Curaçao and Sint Maarten became countries within the Kingdom, while Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba became public bodies within the Netherlands. The...

The King apologized for the Netherlands’ role in slavery at the national commemoration. The speech followed sustained activism by descendants and Caribbean communities; debates continued over...

The Council of State supported a proposal to let descendants change surnames imposed during slavery without the usual fees. The policy recognizes that names can carry the continuing imprint of...

The government informed Parliament about measures following its apology, including funding for social initiatives, educational work, research, and a free surname-change scheme. Descendant...

At its thirty-eighth inter-sessional meeting, CARICOM heads of government decided to grant Curaçao associate-member status. The step widened Curaçao’s regional participation, while the Kingdom’s...

Dutch nationals living on the Caribbean Netherlands islands were eligible to vote in the Dutch European Parliament election. Their voting rights followed a longer struggle over equal political...