The Surinamese court martial has again sentenced former president Desi Bouterse to 20 years in prison for his role in the December murders. Bouterse had opposed the court-martial decision from 2019, but it now comes to the same conclusion as it did then. According to the court martial, no new facts have come to light.
Bouterse’s conviction is not final. An appeal is still possible against the ruling. Bouterse’s lawyer Irvin Kanhai has already announced that he will lodge an appeal.
The resistance case was heard by the same judges who also convicted Bouterse in the first instance, but the appeal case will be heard by the Court of Justice.
As with the previous ruling, when he was still president, Bouterse was not present. This time he had called in sick. The court martial has not ordered the capture of Bouterse, reports the Surinamese website Starnieuws.
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