- Suriname’s ex-dictator faces final verdict in 1982 killings of political opponents
The Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) says it will be present when the Hof van Justitie, the highest court in Suriname, is expected to issue its final decision on Wednesday in the appeal by former president Desi Bouterse against his conviction for the 1982 murders of 15 political prisoners.
The ICJ said that it has been monitoring the trial since 2012 and will be its Commissioner, Reed Brody from the United States, a veteran war crimes prosecutor who has participated in cases involving Augusto Pinochet, and Jean Claude Duvalier among others.
“This is the most important criminal trial in Suriname’s history,” said Brody , adding “that a final decision will be delivered, after so many delays and detours, is a tribute to the courage and independence of Surinamese judges, the perseverance of the victims’ families and the resilience of the rule of law”.
Last Saturday night, the main opposition National Democratic Party (NDP) staged a mass meeting ahead of the court’s ruling.
Bouterse urged supporters not to be provoked on Wednesday, saying “we shouldn’t make a mess”.
In August 2021, the Court Martial of Suriname upheld the 2019 military court ruling of a 20-year-jail term on Bouterse following a trial that had been going on for several years.
In 2017, Bouterse along with 23 co-defendants appeared in the military court after the Court of Justice had earlier rejected a motion to stop the trial. The former military officers and civilians had been charged with the December 8, 1982 murders of the 15 men that included journalists, military officers, union leaders, lawyers, businessmen and university lecturers.
The prosecution had alleged that the men were arrested on the nights of December 7 and 8 and transferred to Fort Zeelandia, the then headquarters of the Surinamese National Army. They said the men were tortured and summarily executed.
Bouterse told the meeting that he hopes that the judges will use their common sense on Wednesday, maintaining that his case is a political one, and pointing an accusing finger at the Netherlands.
“Free Bouta! Free Bouta!” supporters shouted with Bouterse insisting that he is at peace with himself and declaring his innocence in the case
“I hope the judge uses his common sense,” Bourterse told the crowd, adding that the NDP would also be blamed for the present socio-economic state of the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, it is very important that the elections go ahead on May 25, 2025.
