Suriname court set to rule in ex-president’s murder appeal

A court in Suriname is set to announce a ruling on Wednesday in a final appeal by former President Desi Bouterse, who was convicted for his role in the December 1982 execution of 15 people in the former Dutch colony.
Bouterse, 78, who dominated Suriname’s politics for decades and left office in 2020, has denied the charges.
If the conviction is upheld, Bouterse, known by his nickname Bouta, faces 20 years in prison.
The court ruled in 2019 that Bouterse oversaw an operation in which soldiers abducted 16 leading government critics, including lawyers, journalists, union leaders, soldiers and university professors, from their homes.
Fifteen of them were murdered at a colonial fortress in capital Paramaribo, while one trade union leader survived and later gave testimony against Bouterse.
Bouterse has said the murdered men were connected to an invasion plot involving the Netherlands and the United States.