Election victory of Suriname’s Bouterse is a slap in the face of democracy and human rights

Dear Editor,

The election victory of the NDP [National Democratic Party] of ex dictator and president D Bouterse shows clearly the short memory and opportunism of people.

Besides intimidation by Bouterse, poverty also plays an important role.

And poverty is used smartly by Bouterse to realize a social economical program, which probably will not last, because of the diminished gold and oil prices [the main export products of Surinam]

To refresh the memory:

Since the military coup in February1980, the military regime has been guilty of oppression and serious human rights violations.

Politicians of the former parties were arrested on vague grounds and often mistreated and colleague soldiers, with who were conflicts, were arrested and detained in bad detention conditions.

In March 1982, Sergeant Hawker, who had planned a contra coup, was executed without trial, when wounded.

And in December 1982 15 opponents of the military regime were executed without trial, after been tortured, the so called ”December murders”

As if this were not worse enough, in 1986 the Surinamese army caused a massacre in the marroon village Moiwana in the civil war with Bouterse’s rival, R. Brunswijk.

This massacre took place under responsibility of Bouterse, who was the commander in chief of the army.

In 2000 Bouterse was condemned in the Netherlands to 11 years prison because of drugs dealing.

The trial against the December murders was destroyed by the ”amnesty law”, so that Bouterse and the other suspects were off the hook.

The election victory of a party, led by a political gangster as Bouterse is a slap in the face of human rights.

No impunity for Bouterse and his co suspects of the December murders.

Astrid Essed
The Netherlands
Sat Jan 6

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