Suriname: Former Dictator Desi Bouterse Faces Final Trial Over 1982 Killings

Desi Bouterse, Suriname's former dictator, and two dozen others are facing a years-long judicial battle over the 1982 killings of 15 political opponents, and a final verdict is about to be made.

The 1982 Suriname killings have deeply scarred the South American country, according to the Associated Press, and its ramifications are still being felt there to this day. Bouterse and his co-defendants were accused of rounding up famous political opponents, including lawyers, journalists, and a university professor. He then had them executed inside a colonial fortress in the capital, Paramaribo.

Mow 78, Desi Bouterse remains the chairman of Suriname's National Democratic Party and is still a political powerhouse there. He remains the main suspect in those 1982 killings and has accepted "political responsibility" for them. However, he also insists that he was not present when his political opponents were murdered.

Relatives of the people that the former dictator had killed have been calling for justice for decades in what is called in Suriname as the "December Murders." These family members are saying that they want everyone responsible, including Desi Bouterse, to be held accountable for their loved ones's deaths.

"It is a wound in the community. You can't get away from it," Sanjai Debipersad, a 54-year-old consultant, told the Associated Press. "I want truth and justice."

The relatives of the victims are represented by the Organization for Justice and Peace. Betty Goede, the organization's chairperson, commented, "It has been dragging on for 41 years now." The trial began in 2007, over two decades after the Suriname killings happened.

Former Suriname Dictator Desi Bouterse Trying To Get Out of His 20-Year Prison Sentence

The former Surinamese dictator has actually been handed a 20-year prison sentence over 1982 killings, according to The Jamaica Gleaner. However, he and his allies have constantly challenged the ruling and have made the case last for over 20 years.

The 20-year prison sentence for the former dictator was previously upheld in August 2021 after a trial that lasted for seven years. Throughout those years, Bouterse and his allies have repeatedly tried to stop the trial or delay it. They have pointed to many arguments to try and stop the trial, including pointing out that the military judge overseeing the trial shared the same grandfather as one of the victims.

Desi Bouterse Insists 1981 Suriname Killings Victims Tried To Escape Prison

The extrajudicial killing sentence was handed out to the 72-year-old former president back in 2019, but he and his allies have managed to bog the case down over several years with appeals. This meant that while he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, he cannot be arrested because of his appeals.

According to the BBC, Bouterse recently admitted in court that he had heard gunshots on the day the prisoners were killed. However, he insisted he did not order them to be executed. Instead, he stated that the victims were trying to escape the prison, so they were shot.

The final verdict for his case, one he cannot appeal anymore, is expected later this year.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Suriname President Bouterse sentenced to 20 years for killings - Al Jazeera English