Suriname approached the Christmas holidays in apparent bliss and peace amid diminishing fears that supporters of former military strongman and two-time elected president Desi Bouterse would have reacted negatively in the wake of his 20-year sentence for mass murders imposed by a court on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
Anticipating the possibility of the appeals court reaffirming the late 2019 sentence, Bouterse, 78, had called an emergency meeting of National Democratic Party (NDP) supporters last weekend asking them to act responsibly even if the court would have dismissed his appeal as it has done. He now has the option of requesting a presidential pardon but the main attorney for the victims of the 15 citizens who were executed by the military back in December 1982 for plotting with western nations to reverse the February 1980 overthrow of the government, says the law is not clear on how this will be done by President Chan Santokhi.
“If a request for clemency is made, it is not expected that the court will advise on granting it,” Hugo Essed, lawyer for the victims’ relatives, told reporters after the sentencing. “This is a final judgment and the public prosecution service will have to implement it. And that will happen,” he said. The three-person panel of judges did not order Bouterse’s immediate arrest and incarceration
A government statement hours after the verdict praised the court for ending a tough chapter in the CARICOM nation’s history saying the country of about 500,000 people will now be able to move on in a different context.
“The trial of the “December 8 criminal case has kept the Surinamese people and the international community in suspense for the past 41 years. The government is determined to work towards a better future, in which the rights and freedoms of all Surinamese are respected. The government also calls on citizens to see it as our individual and collective responsibility and duty to protect and strengthen democracy and the rule of law. An independent and honest judiciary is of great importance in this social system. As a responsible and respectful administrative authority, the government will in the coming period, in close consultation with the relevant authorities, in compliance with the legal provisions, follow up on the stated judgment.”
Four other ex soldiers who were on trial with Bouterse were handed 15-year sentences. Like Bouterse, none of them had shown up for the ruling.
Meanwhile, western diplomatic missions, which had been monitoring the trial for more than a decade, praised the verdict and said in a joint statement that society will now be able to move on after the verdict. “Gratitude is extended to the court of justice and its chambers for upholding the rule of law and delivering justice for the 15 victims and their families under very challenging circumstances over the past 23 years. The independence and integrity of the Surinamese judiciary are praised. It is hoped that the final disposition of this case will enable all Surinamese to come to terms with the past and advance the cause of peace while ensuring that atrocities such as those committed in December 1982 are never repeated,” they said in a joint statement.
General elections are due in May of 2025. NDP supporters who had assembled at party headquarters on Wednesday, hinted at martyrdom for Bouterse and were confident that the NDP will benefit from a growth spurt and will return to government in two years.
