Suriname's highest court on Wednesday upheld a 20-year prison sentence for ex-president Desi Bouterse, who lost an appeal against his conviction for the 1982 killings of political opponents. The verdict puts an end to the legal saga surrounding the onetime strongman of the small Dutch-speaking South American nation, but some fear the decision could result in unrest.
In 2019, Bouterse was convicted over the execution of 15 people – lawyers, journalists, businessmen and military personnel – in December 1982, two years after he took power following a coup.
Bouterse, 78, appealed the verdict and has remained free awaiting the outcome of the case. . He was not present for the hearing in the capital Paramaribo, which took place with a large presence of security forces outside the court. According to Suriname law, Bouterse now has eight days to write the country's president to ask for clemency.
"It took 41 years, but the long arm of the law has finally caught up to Desi Bouterse," said Reed Brody, of the International Commission of Jurists, a human rights organization that has been following Bouterse's case. "Today's decision is a victory for the families of Bouterse's victims, who never gave up, and for all those around the world seeking to bring powerful abusers to justice," Brody said in the courtroom, hailing the judges for "their fortitude and their independence."
The ruling comes as tensions are already high in the small country – wedged between Guyana and French Guiana– which has seen protests against soaring inflation and austerity measures. "The police are on alert, backed up by other security forces," Justice Minister Kenneth Amoski said in a statement.
In July, Bouterse – who remains very popular, notably with the country's poor and working classes – said he would respect the ruling. "Whatever it will be, I'm ready for it," he said, adding he was "convinced that the other judge, history, will acquit me 100 percent."
On the eve of the ruling, the Dutch and French embassies in the capital Paramaribo warned of possible unrest. Police announced road closures that will make it difficult for Bouterse's supporters to approach the courthouse.
Bouterse has denied involvement in the 1982 killings, saying the victims had been held for plotting a counter-coup with the help of the CIA, and had been shot while trying to escape.
Bouterse staged a coup on February 25, 1980. Known for his eloquence, he initially acted as spokesman but soon took over the military regime, promoting himself to commander-in-chief and de facto ruler. He stepped down in 1987 but returned to power in 1990 through a bloodless coup.
In 1999, a court in the Netherlands, Suriname's former colonial ruler, sentenced Bouterse to 11 years in prison in absentia for cocaine smuggling, another charge he denies. He was later elected and served as president of Suriname from 2010 until 2020, protecting him from extradition.