ANPDesi Bouterse at the courthouse in July
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 03:02
Desi Bouterse will hear on December 20 whether he will be convicted for the December murders. The Court of Justice in Suriname will then rule on appeal, it has been announced. The Surinamese former army leader, ex-president and current opposition leader was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The Public Prosecution Service has again submitted that requirement. If it were up to the justice system, five others would receive the same sentence. These are the ex-soldiers Benny Brondenstein, Iwan Dijksteel, Stephanus Dendoe and Ernst Geffery.
On the night of December 7 to 8, 1982, fifteen men were tortured and killed in Fort Zeelandia, in the Surinamese capital Paramaribo. They were opponents of the then military regime led by Bouterse. He and a group of sergeants came to power in a coup in 1980.
The fifteen people, including journalists, union leaders and lawyers, were trying to stage a coup, according to the regime.
Closing argument
After the previous convictions, Bouterse (78) was not imprisoned, which was not explicitly stated in the demand. That’s different now. Justice has now explicitly demanded 20 years with imprisonment. After the ruling, an appeal is no longer possible.
Bouterse, now opposition leader, called the December murders “regrettable” in his closing argument in July, but he expressed no regret. He has always denied it and believes that he is only politically responsible because he was army chief at the time. According to Bouterse, the Netherlands is responsible for the deaths of the fifteen men.
Correspondent Nina Jurna:
“Now that the final hearing of this long court case has been announced, this will keep people busy in Suriname in the coming weeks. And the question arises how Bouterse’s supporters will react if the judge actually sentences him to twenty years in prison with imprisonment.
Bouterse is the leader of the NDP, the largest opposition party in Suriname. He is still popular with a large part of the population, but at the same time Bouterse has been the most controversial person in the country for decades.
The verdict comes at a time when there is great dissatisfaction in Suriname about the current government policy of President Santokhi, and the country is in an economic crisis.”
2023-12-01 02:02:46
#Final #verdict #December #murders #Christmas
