Fugitive former Suriname president Desi Bouterse is no longer welcome in the United States. The sanction also applies to six other former Surinamese military officers who, like Bouterse, were found guilty of the so-called December 1982 'extrajudicial executions' of political opponents.
The US State Department has declared that the seven people, as well as four family members of Bauters, are 'generally' ineligible to enter the US. An official statement.
The Department commends Suriname for its commitment to the rule of law, including efforts to maintain the independence of the judiciary. As US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken noted, ending impunity is one of the best ways to prevent future abuses: “The strength of Suriname's judicial institutions demonstrates the value of the rule of law as an important pillar for protecting democracy and protecting human rights. .”
Bauters was born in December 2023 in Suriname Imprisonment was imposed 20 years for his role in the December murders. On March 20, a Surinamese court upheld the conviction On higher appeal.
In January he had to go to prison to serve his sentence, but there He didn't come. The former president has since disappeared. Some think he is hiding in the interior of Suriname, but there are also rumors that he is He fled to Venezuela There is
In this video, a survivor explains what Bouterse's faith means:
The December murders took place on the night of December 7-8, 1982. A group of fifteen prominent Surinamese opponents of Bouterse's military rule were arrested and shot without trial at the then military headquarters, Fort Zeelandia. The victims also showed signs of torture.
Former army chief Bouterse has always denied his involvement and said the process was politically motivated. But according to the Public Prosecution Service in Suriname, he was actually at Fort Zeelandia. Prosecutors previously said Powders premeditatedly abducted critics from their homes — with phone lines cut off and guards present — and then murdered them.
