President of Suriname sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder.
President Desi Bouterse of Suriname was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a military court earlier today, after it found him guilty of the murder of 15 political opponents in December 1982 following his military takeover of the country two years prior. Bouterse has always denied his role in the murders, even if accepting political responsability, but evidently the court has judged otherwise.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-s...-idUSKBN1Y327O
What this will mean for the country is uncertain, although it currently seems unlikely the 74-year-old president will actually serve time. Bouterse came to power once more via election in 2010 and is currently serving a second term as President of Suriname. In fact, he wasn't present in the country as the ruling was made public at all, as he is currently away on a state visit to China and is not expected to return before the weekend at the earliest, despite earlier summons by the court that all those charged be present today.. No arrest warrant for the reigning president has been issued yet, nor is one expected to follow shortly, as the President's defence has announced it will appeal the ruling. Should this higher court also find the President guilty while in office, he could theoretically pardon himself as well, provided the ruling judge agrees. If not, he could probably resign temporarily and have his vice-president pardon him.
Nevertheless, that the judgement has occured at all can be considered remarkable in the first place: an extension of the 1992 Amnesty Law in 2012 would have prevented any prosecution for the 1982 murders, had not the military court ruled in 2016 that this would unlawfully impinge on the ongoing legal proceedings that started in 2007. In response to today's ruling, the government of Suriname has called on the people to remain calm.
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