”Thousands gathered in Paramaribo on Saturday to pay their final respects to Desi Bouterse, the former Surinamese military leader, president, and convicted criminal who died in hiding at age 79.”
Thousands gathered in Paramaribo on Saturday to pay their final respects to Desi Bouterse, the former Surinamese military leader, president, and convicted criminal who died in hiding at age 79. Bouterse passed away in January 2024, evading a 20-year prison sentence imposed in December 2023 for his role in the December Murders of 1982, in which 15 political opponents were executed under his military regime.
Bouterse’s death also drew significant attention in the Netherlands, where many Surinamese expatriates reside. A memorial service in Amsterdam-Zuidoost allowed mourners to follow the cremation via a livestream and sign a condolence register. The event was organized by the Friends of the NDP Netherlands and the Sons of Slaves Brotherhood.
In Paramaribo, the farewell began early Saturday morning at Bouterse’s residence in Leonsberg, a northern district of Paramaribo, where close family members paid their final respects. At 13:30 Dutch time, a funeral procession began a 40-kilometer tour through the area, passing significant locations tied to Bouterse’s controversial political and military career.
The procession ended at the headquarters of the National Democratic Party (NDP), which Bouterse founded and led for decades. There, supporters, colleagues, and dignitaries lined up on either side of the coffin to bid farewell from 15:00 onward.
At 20:00 local time, the funeral cortege departed for the crematorium, located less than 1.5 kilometers from the NDP headquarters. Police implemented road closures along the route to ensure a smooth passage. Authorities coordinated with funeral organizers to maintain security and prevent any unrest during the event
END
”Bouterse’s death also drew significant attention in the Netherlands, where many Surinamese expatriates reside. A memorial service in Amsterdam-Zuidoost allowed mourners to follow the cremation via a livestream and sign a condolence register. The event was organized by the Friends of the NDP Netherlands and the Sons of Slaves Brotherhood.”
Prime Minister Mia Mottley has described former Surinamese President Desi Bouterse as one of the most charismatic leaders of the region.
Bouterse, died on Tuesday at the age of 79.
Below is the full text of Prime Minister Mottley’s tribute:
I have met many, many people in this job since I became Head of Government in May 2018. But there are some whose personality is so strong that they leave an indelible mark on all those with whom there has been interaction.
Desi Bouterse was one such man. His was a history ranging from freedom fighter to Head of State of the Republic of Suriname. Whether you agree with him or not, you would have to appreciate the force of his personality.
And, so as 2024 draws to a close the Caribbean Community bids farewell to one of its most charismatic leaders, the former President of the Republic of Suriname, Desi Bouterse, who dominated politics in the Republic of Suriname for four decades.
President Bouterse was the first of my CARICOM colleagues to engage with me during my first Heads Of Government Conference in July of 2018 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It was through his eyes and heart that I learnt of the of the rich culture of this melting pot on the South American continent and, thus began my love for the country and its people.
During my visits to Suriname, he took me all across the country, including the Brokopondo District, interacting with people from all walks of life in his unique way, whether it was to sing with the griots or to hug children who gathered around.
On my last visit to Suriname in July 2023 during the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference hosted by President Santokhi, I was privileged that Comrade Ralph and I were able to meet Desi and spend time with him much of which was with laughter; but, alas, who knew that would be our last time together.
When he and his wife, Ingrid, upon learning about our country’s plans in 2020 to build Golden Square Freedom Park, both said a park needs benches so people can sit and enjoy what it has to offer. And with this statement they immediately made a donation of wooden benches made from Surinamese wood as they wanted to enrich the bonds of friendship between our two nations.
I extend condolences on behalf of the people and Government of Barbados to his wife Ingrid, his children and the people of Suriname. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
END
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Desi Bouterse, a military strongman who led a 1980 coup in the former Dutch colony of Suriname then returned to power by election three decades later despite charges of drug smuggling and murder, has died. He was 79.
Surinamese President Chan Santokhi on Wednesday reflected on Bouterse’s outsized legacy in a message of condolences to his family and called on the nation to “keep calm and maintain order.”
Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk wrote on Facebook that Bouterse’s “life had a lasting impact on our country and his efforts will not be forgotten.” The cause of death was not immediately known.
Bouterse was applauded by supporters for his charisma and populist social programs. For his opponents, he was a ruthless dictator who was convicted of drug trafficking and extrajudicial killings.
In December 2023, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murders of 15 opponents of the then-military government in December 1982, ending a historic 16-year legal process. He then vanished and never served time in jail despite the sentencing.
“There is nobody who has shaped the history of Suriname since its independence like Desi Bouterse,” said Dutch historian Pepijn Reeser, who wrote a biography of Bouterse in 2015.
He said that Bouterse was the first to overcome the stark social class divide that once defined Suriname.
“Before the coup, it was unthinkable somebody from the lower class could become the most powerful man of the country. But he was also the first post-colonial leader to resort to political violence, and the first to use Suriname as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics,” Reeser said.
Early Wednesday, dozens of supporters gathered outside Bouterse’s home where his wife lived, tears streaming down their faces. Many were dressed in purple, the color of his political party.
Born Oct. 13, 1945, at a former sugar plantation near the capital, Paramaribo, Bouterse left for the Netherlands in 1968, as did thousands of other Surinamers in that era to seek adventure or a better life in Europe. Suriname was then still a colony, and as a Dutch citizen he was eligible for conscription, so he joined the armed forces a few months after arriving.
He graduated from the Royal Military School and served at several Dutch army bases in the Netherlands and Germany. Bouterse returned to Suriname two weeks before it became an independent republic on November 25, 1975, and joined its newly formed military.
The initial optimism of young military men in serving their own country quickly turned into frustration over widespread favoritism and corruption in the consecutive governments of Prime Minister Henck Arron. When Arron forbade the troops from unionizing, 16 young soldiers led by Bouterse overthrew the government on February 25, 1980, and made him the de facto ruler.
When promised democratic reforms did not materialize, opposition to Bouterse’s military regime grew rapidly. Frictions between the military and opposition groups culminated in the killing of 15 men on Dec. 8, 1982. The victims were journalists, lawyers, military and university teachers, and their slaying became known as the “December Murders.”
Shocked by the killings, the Netherlands suspended all development aid, disrupting life in Suriname. Ronnie Brunswijk, a former bodyguard of Bouterse, took up arms in 1986 in a bid to oust the dictator. For six years, the country’s jungles were torn by a civil war in which both sides violated human rights and hundreds died.
International isolation and the lack of domestic support for his military regime led Bouterse to accept free elections in November 1987. He established his own political movement, the National Democratic Party, but won only three of 51 seats in Parliament. Nonetheless, as commander of the armed forces, Bouterse kept a tight grip on the newly elected government of President Ramsewak Shankar.
Following a conflict between Bouterse and Shankar in 1990, the army seized power again, dismissing Shankar with a phone call. Civilian rule was restored the following year. Bouterse officially left Suriname’s army in 1993, and he became what he described as a fulltime politician and businessman.
In 1999, a Dutch court sentenced him in absentia to 11 years in prison for smuggling more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine to the Netherlands. The absence of an extradition treaty between the nations meant he never served his time in prison.
In 2007, Suriname’s military court started a trial against Bouterse and 24 others for their alleged roles in the December Murders of 1982.
Bouterse was painted as the chief instigator by the prosecution. He maintained he was not present during the executions, although he said he accepted “political responsibility” as army commander.
While the trial dragged on for more than a decade, the former military leader reinvented himself as a politician by preaching nationalism and attracting support from many ethnic groups in Suriname, whose people have African, Asian, Amerindian, European and Middle Eastern roots.
He was elected president for the first time in 2010. Instead of avoiding his past, he celebrated it. He quickly declared Feb. 25, the day of his military coup in 1980, a national holiday. He awarded other suspects in the December Murders case and coup plotters with high-ranking government jobs.
Inspired by the socialist politics of then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Bouterse continued construction of social housing, increased social welfare benefits and raised the government pension.
These popular measures secured his reelection for another five-year term in 2015 but also proved to be an unpayable burden for the state. Large budget deficits and rampant inflation ensued. Consecutive devaluations of the Surinamese dollar in 2016 resulted in the currency losing more than half of its value in just a year.
“The reckless economic policies of Bouterse have put a huge burden on our future generations, who are forced to repay millions of dollars of loans to international creditors,” Surinamese economist Winston Ramautarsing told The Associated Press in 2016.
With his support dwindling during his second term, Bouterse resorted to the tactics that he used during his dictatorship, including threatening the judges of his own murder trial during public events. History books for the country’s high schools that mentioned the December Murders were banned. He regularly fired Cabinet ministers while blaming them for Suriname’s problems.
In 2012, the Bouterse administration proclaimed an internationally criticized amnesty law for the December Murders in an attempt to halt the murder trial. However, the law was ruled inapplicable by the military court in 2016, and in June 2017, the prosecutor recommended a 20-year prison sentence for Bouterse.
“If it was God who made me president; who is this judge to try to send me away?” Bouterse said.
END
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 7/No Sanctification for Villains!
Desi Bouterse, a military strongman who led a 1980 coup in the former Dutch colony of Suriname then returned to power by election three decades later despite charges of drug smuggling and murder, has died. He was 79.
Surinamese President Chan Santokhi on Wednesday reflected on Bouterse’s outsized legacy in a message of condolences to his family and called on the nation to “keep calm and maintain order.”
Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk wrote on Facebook that Bouterse’s “life had a lasting impact on our country and his efforts will not be forgotten.” The cause of death was not immediately known.
Bouterse was applauded by supporters for his charisma and populist social programs. For his opponents, he was a ruthless dictator who was convicted of drug trafficking and extrajudicial killings.
In December 2023, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murders of 15 opponents of the then-military government in December 1982, ending a historic 16-year legal process. He then vanished and never served time in jail despite the sentencing.
“There is nobody who has shaped the history of Suriname since its independence like Desi Bouterse,” said Dutch historian Pepijn Reeser, who wrote a biography of Bouterse in 2015.
He said that Bouterse was the first to overcome the stark social class divide that once defined Suriname.
“Before the coup, it was unthinkable somebody from the lower class could become the most powerful man of the country. But he was also the first post-colonial leader to resort to political violence, and the first to use Suriname as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics,” Reeser said.
Early Wednesday, dozens of supporters gathered outside Bouterse’s home where his wife lived, tears streaming down their faces. Many were dressed in purple, the color of his political party.
Born Oct. 13, 1945, at a former sugar plantation near the capital, Paramaribo, Bouterse left for the Netherlands in 1968, as did thousands of other Surinamers in that era to seek adventure or a better life in Europe. Suriname was then still a colony, and as a Dutch citizen he was eligible for conscription, so he joined the armed forces a few months after arriving.
He graduated from the Royal Military School and served at several Dutch army bases in the Netherlands and Germany. Bouterse returned to Suriname two weeks before it became an independent republic on November 25, 1975, and joined its newly formed military.
The initial optimism of young military men in serving their own country quickly turned into frustration over widespread favoritism and corruption in the consecutive governments of Prime Minister Henck Arron. When Arron forbade the troops from unionizing, 16 young soldiers led by Bouterse overthrew the government on February 25, 1980, and made him the de facto ruler.
When promised democratic reforms did not materialize, opposition to Bouterse’s military regime grew rapidly. Frictions between the military and opposition groups culminated in the killing of 15 men on Dec. 8, 1982. The victims were journalists, lawyers, military and university teachers, and their slaying became known as the “December Murders.”
Shocked by the killings, the Netherlands suspended all development aid, disrupting life in Suriname. Ronnie Brunswijk, a former bodyguard of Bouterse, took up arms in 1986 in a bid to oust the dictator. For six years, the country’s jungles were torn by a civil war in which both sides violated human rights and hundreds died.
International isolation and the lack of domestic support for his military regime led Bouterse to accept free elections in November 1987. He established his own political movement, the National Democratic Party, but won only three of 51 seats in Parliament. Nonetheless, as commander of the armed forces, Bouterse kept a tight grip on the newly elected government of President Ramsewak Shankar.
Following a conflict between Bouterse and Shankar in 1990, the army seized power again, dismissing Shankar with a phone call. Civilian rule was restored the following year. Bouterse officially left Suriname’s army in 1993, and he became what he described as a fulltime politician and businessman.
In 1999, a Dutch court sentenced him in absentia to 11 years in prison for smuggling more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine to the Netherlands. The absence of an extradition treaty between the nations meant he never served his time in prison.
In 2007, Suriname’s military court started a trial against Bouterse and 24 others for their alleged roles in the December Murders of 1982.
Bouterse was painted as the chief instigator by the prosecution. He maintained he was not present during the executions, although he said he accepted “political responsibility” as army commander.
While the trial dragged on for more than a decade, the former military leader reinvented himself as a politician by preaching nationalism and attracting support from many ethnic groups in Suriname, whose people have African, Asian, Amerindian, European and Middle Eastern roots.
He was elected president for the first time in 2010. Instead of avoiding his past, he celebrated it. He quickly declared Feb. 25, the day of his military coup in 1980, a national holiday. He awarded other suspects in the December Murders case and coup plotters with high-ranking government jobs.
Inspired by the socialist politics of then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Bouterse continued construction of social housing, increased social welfare benefits and raised the government pension.
These popular measures secured his reelection for another five-year term in 2015 but also proved to be an unpayable burden for the state. Large budget deficits and rampant inflation ensued. Consecutive devaluations of the Surinamese dollar in 2016 resulted in the currency losing more than half of its value in just a year.
“The reckless economic policies of Bouterse have put a huge burden on our future generations, who are forced to repay millions of dollars of loans to international creditors,” Surinamese economist Winston Ramautarsing told The Associated Press in 2016.
With his support dwindling during his second term, Bouterse resorted to the tactics that he used during his dictatorship, including threatening the judges of his own murder trial during public events. History books for the country’s high schools that mentioned the December Murders were banned. He regularly fired Cabinet ministers while blaming them for Suriname’s problems.
In 2012, the Bouterse administration proclaimed an internationally criticized amnesty law for the December Murders in an attempt to halt the murder trial. However, the law was ruled inapplicable by the military court in 2016, and in June 2017, the prosecutor recommended a 20-year prison sentence for Bouterse.
“If it was God who made me president; who is this judge to try to send me away?” Bouterse said.
END
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 6/No Sanctification for Villains!
De Nationale Assemblee stond zaterdag tijdens de openbare vergadering stil bij het overlijden van Desi Bouterse die jarenlang lid is geweest van het college en fractieleider was van de NDP. Ook was hij twee termijnen president van Suriname. Er is geen onvertogen woord gevallen in De Nationale Assemblee, die ook 1 minuut stilte in acht heeft genomen. Alle fracties, de Assembleevoorzitter en de regering hebben hun medeleven betuigd met de familie en de NDP.
Assembleevoorzitter Marinus Bee opende de rij der sprekers en had het over een collectief verdriet, waarbij eenheid en respect van belang zijn. Hij riep op om vast te houden aan het positieve. Ronny Asabina, fractieleider van de BEP, zei dat een markante Surinamer is heengegaan. Hij was voor velen een bron van inspiratie. Hij heeft als een bijzondere Surinamer zijn stempel op vele terreinen gedrukt. Hij riep namens zijn partij op om de idealen van Bouterse te koesteren.
De fractieleider van Pertjajah Luhur, Evert Karto, toonde zijn respect voor de overledene. Een grote Surinamer is heengegaan. Hij was onlosmakelijk verbonden aan de geschiedenis van het land en heeft een diepe indruk achtergelaten. Hij was een vastberaden leider die grote uitdagingen is aangegaan. Zijn leiderschap ging gepaard met zware verantwoordelijkheid, waarbij keuzen moesten worden gemaakt. Er moeten lessen geleerd worden uit het verleden en gebouwd worden aan een rechtvaardige toekomst.
Edgar Sampie zei namens ABOP dat Bouterse een grote zoon was van het land. In en buiten Suriname is zijn heengaan een groot verlies. Hij prees zijn moed en durf in goede en slechte tijden. Sampie bracht in herinnering dat zijn voorzitter, vicepresident Ronnie Brunswijk, en Bouterse een lange geschiedenis hebben gedeeld. Zijn inspiratie moet gebruikt worden om het land op te bouwen. Ivanildo Plein van de NPS bracht zijn condoleances over aan de familie, vrienden en de dierbaren van de overledene en wenste hen sterkte toe met het verlies.
Asis Gajadien, fractieleider van de VHP, zei dat het land geconfronteerd is geworden met het plotselinge heengaan. Er is veel discussie geweest en er spelen veel emoties. Het is niet aan hem of de VHP om te oordelen. Dat ligt aan hogere machten. Hier op aarde is het de taak om in alle rust en alle eerbied zaken af te handelen. Hij condoleerde de weduwe Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring, zijn kinderen, andere familieleden en de NDP en wenste hen veel sterkte toe. Namens de regering betuigde minister Krishna Mathoera haar sympathie met De Nationale Assemblee en de NDP-fractie.
“De leider van de Revolutie, gewezen voorzitter, erevoorzitter van de NDP, lid van De Nationale Assemblee, tevens president van de Republiek Suriname, onze geestesvader en nestor, de heer Desiré Delano Bouterse is ons plotseling komen te ontvallen. Nationaal en internationaal erkend als een groot en inspirerende progressieve leider voor jonge natiestaten”, zei Rabin Parmessar, fractieleider van de NDP.
“Zijn nalatenschap blijft een baken voor ons werken, bewustwording en dekolonisatie van onze samenleving. Wij zullen zijn visie en idealen met vastberadenheid voortzetten en zijn droom van een sterker en verenigd Suriname levend houden. Zijn visie was groot, zijn droom voor ons land puur, waarbij hij tevens zocht naar een vreedzame wereld gebaseerd op duurzame internationale principes en internationaal recht.
Desiré Delano Bouterse is op weg naar het Grote Licht, moge zijn ziel in vrede rusten; zijn werk hier is voldaan, maar hij blijft voortleven in onze idealen en in elke positieve daad voor duurzame ontwikkeling, daar zijn nalatenschap zal blijven als een eeuwige belofte aan ons aller geliefd land en volk.
Wij wensen zijn echtgenote, familie, partij leden, sympathisanten van de NDP en allen die geraakt zijn door dit groot verlies veel sterkte. Wij bedanken de familie in het bijzonder zijn echtgenote en kinderen, dat zij hem met ons hebben gedeeld. Een grote zoon en groot nationalist met zijn hart op de juiste plaats voor Suriname is ons voorgegaan! Hij zal altijd bij ons zijn; zijn legacy is nu deel van ons!”
EINDE
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
STARNIEUWS
1 MINUTE SILENCE IN DNA [DE NATIONALE ASSEMBLEE, THE SURINAMESE
During the public parliamentary meeting the Nationale Assemblee
reflected for a while on the death of Desi Bouterse, a yearlong member
of the parliament and faction leader of his political party, the NDP.
He was also for two terms president of Suriname.
Not a word of disapproval was uttered in the Nationale Assemblee, that
also took one minute of silence, out of respect.
All factions of the political parties, the Chairman of the Nationale Assemblee included as the government, have given condolences to his family and the NDP.
Assemblee Charman Marinus Bee was the first speaker and referred to a
collective grief and the importance of unity and respect.
He called for holding on positivity.
Ronny Asabina, faction leader of the political party BEP said, that a person
of significance had passed away.
For many he was a source of inspiration.
As a remarkable Surinamese leader he made his mark on many segments
of society.
On behalf of his party he called on to cherish the ideals of Bouterse.
Evert Karto, factionleader of the political party Pertjajah Luhur,
showed his respect for the deceased.
A great Surinamese leader has passed away.
He was inseparably connected with the history of the country and has
left behind a deep impression.
He was a determined leader, who has taken on major challenges.
His leadership was accompanied by great responsibility in which choices
had to be made.
Lessons must be learned from the past to build a just future.
On behalf of the political party ABOP Edgar Sampie said, that Bouterse was
a great son of the country.
He praised his courage and guts in good and bad times.
Sampie reminded that his Chairman, vice president Ronnie Brunswijk and
Bouterse shared a long history.
His inspiration must be used to build the country.
Ivanildo Plein of the political party NPS gave.his condolences to the family,
friends and loved ones and wished them strength.
On behalf of the government minister Krishna Mathoera expressed her
sympathy with the Nationale Assemblee and the NDP faction.
Asis Gajadien, faction leader of the political party NDP said, that the country was confronted by the sudden decease.
There has been much discussion and many emotions play a part.
It is not for him or the VHP to judge.
That depends on Higher Powers.
Here on this Earth it is the task to handle matters in all quietness and respect.
He gave his condolences to the widow Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring, his
children and other family members and the NDP and wished them much strength with their loss.
”The Leader of the Revolution, former chairman honorary chaorman, member
of the Nationale Assemblee, also president of the Republic Suriname, our spiritual father and nestor, mr Desire Delano Bouterse, is taken away from us.
Nationally and internationally recognized as a great and inspiring progressive
leader for young nation States” said Rabin Parmessar, faction leader of the
NDP, the party of Bouterse.
”His legacy remains a Beacon for our Labiour, political awareness and
decolonization of our society.
We shall continue his vision and ideals with determination and shall hold vivid his dream of a stronger and united Suriname.
His vision was great, his dream for our country pure, where he also searched for
a peaceful world, based on lasting international principles and International Law.
Desi Delano Bouterse is on his way to the Great Light, may his soul rest in Peace.
His work here is done, but he continues to live on in our ideals and every
positive deed for sustainable development, since his legacy will
remain an eternal promise to our beloved country and people.
We wish his wife, family, party members, sympathizers of the NDP and all
who are touched by this great loss, much strength.
We thank the family, in particular his wife and children, that they shared him
with us.
A great son and great nationalist with his heart in the right place for Suriname has gone before us!
He will always be with us: his legacy is now part of us!”
END
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 5/No Sanctification for Villains!
”Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof expressed his condolences to the people of Suriname following the death of Desi Bouterse, the controversial former president and military leader of the South American nation.”
NL TIMES
DUTCH AND SURINAMESE LEADERS REACT TO DEATH OF DESI
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof expressed his condolences to the people of Suriname following the death of Desi Bouterse, the controversial former president and military leader of the South American nation. However, Schoof withheld any direct message of sympathy for Bouterse himself, citing the former leader’s responsibility for atrocities during his time in power, including the December Murders of 1982.
“My thoughts are with all Surinamers, particularly the relatives of the victims of the December Murders,” Schoof said. “Bouterse’s memory will always be shaped by his role in those horrific events.” Schoof also supported Surinamese President Chan Santokhi’s call for calm, urging “rest and dignity” in the aftermath of Bouterse’s death.
The circumstances surrounding Bouterse’s death remain under investigation in Suriname. According to the Surinamese police, unknown individuals transported his body to his home in Leonsberg from an undisclosed location. A resident of the house informed police of the body’s arrival during an early-morning visit.
Authorities were first alerted to Bouterse’s death shortly after 5 a.m. local time on Wednesday. A doctor summoned by the police found no signs of foul play during an initial examination. However, the body was seized following consultation with the Public Prosecutor’s Office to determine the exact cause of death.
Bouterse, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year for orchestrating the December Murders, never served his sentence, having evaded justice by fleeing. The killings, which took place at Fort Zeelandia, resulted in the deaths of 15 political opponents of Bouterse’s military regime. “His death has left many emotions in Suriname and here in the Netherlands, especially among the victims’ families,” Schoof said on social media.
Reactions to Bouterse’s death highlight the deep divisions in how he is remembered. VHP Nederland, the Dutch branch of the Surinamese governing party, issued a statement acknowledging the polarizing nature of Bouterse’s legacy.
“Desi Bouterse is remembered by many as a controversial figure due to his role in historical events that left deep scars,” the organization stated. “For some, his leadership is associated with injustice and pain, particularly related to the December Murders and the military dictatorship.”
The group called for “respect and dignity” during this period of mourning and urged Surinamese society to reflect on the country’s tumultuous past. “Only through openness and understanding can Suriname turn the pain of the past into a united and sustainable future,” the statement added.
Bouterse, who also faced drug trafficking charges, was convicted in absentia by a Dutch court in 1999 for involvement in a cocaine smuggling operation. The strained relations between the Netherlands and Bouterse’s administration persisted for decades, with the former leader frequently criticizing the Netherlands as Suriname’s former colonizer.
Prominent figures in the Netherlands with ties to Suriname expressed mixed feelings about Bouterse’s death. Attorney Gerard Spong, who was involved in investigations into the December Murders, described the news as “ambivalent.”
“Bouterse was a man with a lot of blood on his hands,” Spong told ANP. “It’s deeply frustrating that he avoided earthly justice by remaining a fugitive. He held Suriname hostage for 40 years and caused enormous suffering. I do not mourn his death.”
Spong, who lost friends and colleagues in the 1982 killings, called Bouterse’s death “a bitter end to a painful chapter.”
Journalist Noraly Beyer, who produced a documentary on the December Murders two years ago, also shared her conflicted emotions. “There was justice from the courts, and now there is justice from a higher power,” she said. “It’s a relief that the man who caused so much harm is gone. But it’s also unsatisfying because he never served his sentence.”
Beyer noted the importance of answering lingering questions about Bouterse’s final days. “Where was he hiding? How did he die? These answers are important for the victims and their families,” she said.
Bouterse’s death also prompted calls for societal healing. VHP Nederland emphasized the need for Suriname to focus on reconciliation and justice. “We must continue advocating for democracy, transparency, and human rights in Suriname,” the group said.
The Surinamese police have urged the public to refrain from speculation and to await the results of the ongoing investigation. “We ask for patience and calm as we work to clarify the circumstances surrounding Mr. Bouterse’s passing,” the statement read.
END
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 4/No Sanctification for Villains!
”Desi Bouterse, the former president of Suriname who fled authorities to avoid jail after his conviction over the murder of activists in the 1980s, has died at age 79, the government says.”
…..
…..
”In December last year, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murders, ending a historic 16-year legal process.
He then vanished and never served time in jail.”
ALJAZEERA
DESI BOUTERSE, SURINAME’S FUGITIVE FORMER PRESIDENT,
The top court in Suriname affirmed the conviction and 20-year prison sentence against Desi Bouterse, the former president of Suriname, for his role in the December Murders. The High Court of Justice issued the final verdict in the case on Wednesday. However, the High Court did not call for Bouterse’s immediate request.
Bouterse, who formerly lead the military, staged a coup in February 1980 in which he deposed the Surinamese government. Nearly three years later, Bouterse’s regime rousted 15 prominent Surinamese people from their homes in the middle of the night in an operation that began on December 7, 1982.
Seen as political opponents, the 15 people were taken to Fort Zeelandia, which Bouterse used as his headquarters at the time. The victims were first tortured before being killed by soldiers. The group of victims includes union leaders, journalists, university lecturers, soldiers, attorneys, and businessmen.
This week, the Dutch Embassy in Suriname issued a warning to Dutch people in the country regarding the outcome of the trial. A threat analysis by Suriname’s police and intelligence offices cautioned that Bouterse’s supporters, of which there are many, could intend to endanger public safety if the former president was convicted.
The threat analysis leaked out in December, stating there were “real and very serious threats.”
PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) — Suriname’s former dictator Desi Bouterse was sentenced on Wednesday to 20 years in prison for the murders of 15 opponents of the then-military regime in December 1982, ending a historic 16-year legal process.
Bouterse, 78, was previously sentenced in the case in 2019 and in 2021 but had appealed both decisions. The court on Wednesday upheld his conviction and the latest sentencing was seen as final with no more appeals allowed. The judge handed down 20 years given the ex-president’s age and that it was the highest sentence allowed at the time of the killings.
“We have received a gem of a verdict,” said Hugo Essed, lawyer for the victims’ relatives, adding that he can now “proudly” say there is an independent constitutional state in Suriname.
Neither Bouterse, nor his four co-suspects, who were sentenced to 15 years in prison, were present in the courtroom for the sentencing.
Bouterse’s lawyer, Irvin Kanhai, said he disagreed with the verdict and had expected an acquittal, but would go into detail at a later date. “I am going to my client now,” he told journalists.
The former president remains chair of the National Democratic Party and some fear unrest in parts of Suriname. Die-hard supporters call him “boss” and have maintained they will not accept a conviction. Bouterse has urged calm several times. Tight security measures were in place in part of the capital of Paramaribo.
Bouterse still has the option of requesting a presidential pardon, but according to Essed, the legislation in Suriname is unclear on the issue. “If a request for clemency is made, it is not expected that the Court will advise on granting it.”
Henk Kamperveen, the son of Andre Kamperveen, one of the 15 people killed, said it took a long time, but the legal process against Bouterse has finally come to an end.
“We’re not going to celebrate,” he added, saying it is not a victory for the relatives, but for the rule of law in Suriname.
Prosecutors had demanded the immediate imprisonment of Bouterse, but the judge did not back the request. “How and when (Bouterse’s imprisonment) will happen is up to the prosecution,” said Essed.
Bouterse led a bloodless coup to become dictator from 1980 to 1987 and was democratically elected president from 2010 to 2020.
He and two dozen others were accused of rounding up well-known people including lawyers, journalists and a university professor and executing them in 1982 in a colonial fortress in Paramaribo.
The former dictator has accepted “political responsibility” but insists he was not present for the killings known as the “December murders.”
The criminal trial began in 2007, a quarter-century after the events it relates to. A total of 25 suspects were initially accused in the killings. A dozen have been acquitted, six have died and five have been sentenced. Two have been convicted but are believed to have fled Suriname.
Bouterse unsuccessfully tried to push through an amnesty law after being elected in 2010. Then in 2016, he ordered Suriname’s attorney general to halt legal proceedings for alleged national security reasons. A court rejected that.
END
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 2/No Sanctification for Villains!
Government extends condolences for death of Bouterse, ex-leader convicted for role in 1982 killing of activists.
Desi Bouterse, the former president of Suriname who fled authorities to avoid jail after his conviction over the murder of activists in the 1980s, has died at age 79, the government says.
“In anticipation of more detailed and definitive information from official channels, we would like to offer our condolences to the wife, children and other surviving relatives for this loss,” President Chan Santokhi said in a statement on Wednesday, referring to Bouterse.
Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk wrote on Facebook that Bouterse’s “life had a lasting impact on our country and his efforts will not be forgotten”.
His cause of death was not immediately clear, and the government did not provide details on where Bouterse died on Tuesday.
A divisive figure, Bouterse was applauded by supporters for his charisma and populist social programmes but viewed by his opponents as a ruthless dictator who was convicted of drug trafficking and extrajudicial killings.
He dominated politics in the small country on the northeastern coast of South America for decades, leading a coup in 1980 and finally leaving office in 2020.
In 2019, he and six other people were convicted for their roles in the 1982 murders of 15 leading government critics, including lawyers, journalists, union leaders, soldiers and university professors.
Bouterse had claimed the murdered men were connected to a planned invasion of the former Dutch colony.
In December last year, Bouterse was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murders, ending a historic 16-year legal process.
He then vanished and never served time in jail.
“There is nobody who has shaped the history of Suriname since its independence like Desi Bouterse,” said Dutch historian Pepijn Reeser, who wrote a biography of Bouterse in 2015.
He said Bouterse was the first to overcome the stark social class divide that once defined Suriname.
“Before the coup, it was unthinkable somebody from the lower class could become the most powerful man of the country. But he was also the first postcolonial leader to resort to political violence and the first to use Suriname as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics,” Reeser said.
In 1999, a Dutch court sentenced Bouterse in absentia to 11 years in prison for smuggling more than 453kg (1,000lb) of cocaine to the Netherlands. The absence of an extradition treaty between the nations meant he never served his time in prison.
Early on Wednesday, dozens of supporters gathered outside Bouterse’s home, where his wife lived, tears streaming down their faces.
Many were dressed in purple, the colour of his political party.
END
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor NOTE 1/No Sanctification for Villains!
Shortly before Christmas former Surinamese president Desi Bouterse died
at the age of 79.
And almost immediately he was depicted as a sort of Saint by ”
birds of various feathers”
So in the Surinamese parliament, the ”Nationale Assemblee”,
Bouterse was called ”a courageous leader”, a ”great son” and ”inspiring”
Others called him a ”People’s hero’, the man, who pursued social reforms,
a man, ”who fought for the poor”.
Many people, including the prime minister of Barbados, mrs Mottley [who
gave a statement at the death of ex president Bouterse], called Desi Bouterse
”charismatic”
Memorial services were being held, as in Suriname as in the Netherlands
[Suriname’s former colonizer, where many Surinamese live nowadays]
and not a few numer of people let their tears flow freely and recalled Bouterse’s
”social engagement”
Now it is true, that in his time as president, Bouterse pursued a number of
social reforms, which meant a lot for many people in a poor country
like Suriname, but there was handled irresponsibly with the financial
resources of the country with as a consequence, that after two periods of
presidency, Bouterse plunged Suriname into near-bankruptcy.
And not to forget:
Bouterse greatly enriched himself and his political friends at the cost
of the Surinamese people.
We call that theft and corruption!
People should realize that yet apart from the misery he brought to
thousands and thousands of young peole with the opening of
the country to the drug trade.
But there is more….
Bouterse appeared on the Surinamese political scene as the leader
of the 25 february 1980 military coup, with which he overthrew the
democratic system.
After an initial false-friendly Period, soon sordid human rights violations
made their appearance:
The death, after a suspicious police intrrogation, of alleged contra coup plotter,
the Surinamese ex KNIL [former Dutch colonial Army in then Dutch East Indies,
since 1948 Indonesia] military Fred Ormskerk [1980], the arrest and detention without trial of former politicians, the execution of contra coup plotter major Hawker, lying wounded on a brancard, [march 1982], with as one of the darkest events, the arrest and extrajudicial execution [after torture] of fifteen political opponents of
the Bouterse military regime, theDecembermurders [december 1982]!
The two courageous women’s marches as a protest against the Decembermurders must be mentioned here and deserve an honourable
page in Surinamese history!
Then major Horb, former right hand man of Bouterse, died under suspicious
circumstances in a police cell, after his arrest. [ February 1983]
After the Decembermurders, Bouterse c.s. established a dictatorship,
that would last until 1987, when the first free elections took place.
During the civil war with former bodyguard Brunswijk [leader of
the Jungle Commando], one of the worst human rights violations
under Bouterse took place:
In the maroon village Moiwana, more then 39 civilians were
killed by the National Army under responsibility of commander in Chief, Desi
Bouterse/A mass slaughter and crime against humanity!
In 1987 Bouterse established his political party NDP [that led a big defeat
at the 1987 elections!] and during the years Bouterse made himself popular
with populist and nice sounding speeches, presents to his political fans and
some social reforms.
That may be so, but fact remains, that Bouterse and co are guilty of
theft, torture, executions and mass slaughter: Crimes against humanity.
Because of the ”Saint Declaration” of Bouterse, this Letter is written.
So that his crimes will not be forgotten.
Astrid Essed
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Reacties uitgeschakeld voor Mail Astrid Essed to the Ghana Report/”Desi Bouterse is no ”People’s Hero”/Thief/Dictator/Criminal against humanity[Letter to the Editor]
ANP