Suriname court to rule on continuation of 1982 mass murder trial -Bouterse ‘dead list’ raised

The preliminary hearings into the 1982 murder of 15 government critics in Suriname was postponed last Friday by a military court until April 4 when the bench will rule whether the trial should continue.

Former army commander and then government leader Desi Bouterse and 21 other suspects are standing trial for the extra-judicial killing of 15 businessmen, journalists, army officers, union leaders and university lecturers on December 8, 1982.

Three other suspects, all former cabinet ministers, will stand trial before a civilian court, although that trial is yet to start, Caribbean Net News reported on Monday.

Defence lawyers and prosecutors argued their case for over eight hours.

According to the news report, attorney Irwin Kanhai representing Bouterse and several other defendants contended that “there is no case” since, according to him, investigations into the murders started after the statute of limitations had expired. He also argued that his clients were not properly notified that they were being prosecuted, while the letters informing them of the investigations were also judicially incorrect.

The lawyers told the court that the descriptions of the crime the suspects were being accused of were vague.

“My clients don’t know what they are being accused of,” Kanhai told the court.

He said that the law prescribes how suspects should be notified that they are being prosecuted or that they are suspects in a judicial investigation.

“The prosecutor failed to do so,” the lawyer was quoted as saying by Caribbean Net News.

The defence attorney also questioned how the list of suspects had been constructed and suggested that based on statements from witnesses, now deceased union leader Fred Derby who was also captured on December 8, 1982, should also be regarded as a suspect.

One witness alleged that Derby, Bouterse and another army officer were consuming alcohol, laughing and having a good time shortly before the 15 victims were killed. Derby was released after the other detainees were murdered and several days later he had a secret meeting with Bouterse.

Military prosecutor John Mohammedamin dismissed the arguments of the defence lawyers, saying that the suspects were properly notified and that the Court of Justice in a ruling in 2001 had prevented expiration of the statute of limitations. He also contended that the defence was too late with objections to the notification letters.

The prosecutor dismissed as “unethical” arguments that Derby should be regarded as a suspect, and advised the bench to continue the trial.

Meanwhile, the English bulletin of de Ware Tijd reported yesterday in Paramaribo that according to eyewitness testimonies of Derby the December 8, 1982 killings “were not a panicky reaction or took place in a fit.”

Under the headline ‘Bouterse had “dead list” in his pocket’, de Ware Tijd reported that Bouterse had on December 8, 1982 the names of those persons who were to be executed. The report said further that there was disagreement among the army command because not everyone who was brought to Fort Zeelandia would be executed. After Derby pleaded for his life, Bouterse decided to save him, according to statements in the file on the December killings by the now deceased union leader.

De Ware Tijd said that according to Derby, he was told by Bouterse that he could go and then the former army commander and government leader took a piece of paper from his pocket and checked it. Then the union leader asked him if those who were still alive could also leave with him. Shortly before this there was a heated quarrel between Bouterse and the now deceased battalion commander Paul Bhagwandas because Derby was not to be executed. Bhagwandas had disagreed with Bouterse’s unilateral decision, the Suriname daily added.