By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
PARAMARIBO/AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – An appeals court in Suriname on Wednesday upheld the conviction of former President Desi Bouterse and sentenced him to 20 years in prison for his role in the execution of 15 people in the former Dutch colony in December 1982.
The three-judge panel said it realized the ruling came too late in a case that deeply scarred the South American country.
“Those who sought justice had angelic patience,” court president Dinesh Sewratan acknowledged as he read the judgment.
A court ruled in 2019 that Bouterse oversaw an operation in which soldiers abducted 16 leading government critics, including lawyers, journalists, union leaders, soldiers, and university professors from their homes.
Fifteen of them were murdered at a colonial fortress in the capital, Paramaribo. One trade union leader survived and gave testimony against Bouterse.
The 78-year-old ex-president, who dominated Suriname’s politics with his authoritarian style for decades and left office in 2020, has denied the charges.
But after Wednesday’s decision by the Hof van Justitie (the Court of Justice) in Suriname to uphold the 20-year prison term, Bouterse’s only remaining option is to request a pardon from current President Chan Santokhi.
SMALL COMMUNITY
It was not immediately clear when and if the ex-leader will be detained. “Suriname is a small community where people know each other,” a pastor from Suriname told Worthy News. “I have doubts that he will serve time in jail.”
The ruling comes at a time when tensions are already high in the small country of about 640,000 people, which has seen protests against soaring inflation and austerity measures.
The U.S. and Dutch embassies had warned of potential unrest around the ruling, although Bouterse told supporters during a rally on Saturday there was “no point in letting things get out of hand.”
It was not immediately clear when and if the ex-leader will be detained. “Suriname is a small community where people know each other,” a pastor from Suriname told Worthy News. “I have doubts that he will serve time in jail.”
The U.S. and Dutch embassies had warned of potential unrest around the ruling, although Bouterse told supporters during a rally on Saturday there was “no point in letting things get out of hand.”
Bouterse remains very popular, especially among the country’s poor and working class. In July, he said he would respect the verdict.
“Whatever it will be, I’m ready for it,” he said, adding he was “convinced that the other judge, history, will acquit me 100 percent.”
INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION
In a reaction monitored by Worthy News, The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) welcomed Wednesday’s ruling.
“It took 41 years, but the long arm of the law has finally caught up to Desi Bouterse,” said Reed Brody, an American lawyer who attended the verdict for the ICJ. “Suriname has chosen the rule of law. The judges who rendered today’s decision and those who issued the original conviction while Bouterse was still president should be praised for their fortitude and their independence.”
Bouterse’s lawyer had indicated that in the event of a conviction, he would file a challenge with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. It was not clear on what ground, and such a filing does not stay the operation of the sentence, observers said.
The ICJ said that extrajudicial executions “are crimes under international law” and that “Heads of State,” including Bouterse at the time, “enjoy no special immunity from prosecution.”
Bouterse was also wanted in the Netherlands and the United States for these and drug-related crimes.
Wednesday’s decision “is a victory for the families of Bouterse’s victims, who never gave up, and for all those around the world seeking to bring powerful abusers to justice,” said Brody. “It should serve as another reminder that accountability for the most serious crimes has no expiration date.”
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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