PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Former Surinamese President Desi Bouterse remains a fugitive after failing to report to prison for his 20-year sentence in the 1982 murders of 15 activists, prompting a nationwide manhunt and raising questions about the rule of law in the South American nation.
Bouterse, 78, who dominated Surinamese politics for decades but left office in 2020, had been ordered to begin his sentence this week. However, his wife declared on Friday, “He’s not going to turn himself in,” setting the stage for a dramatic standoff with authorities.
The December murders, as they’re known, targeted lawyers, journalists, union leaders, soldiers, and university professors seen as threats to Bouterse’s military regime. The court ruled in 2019 that he oversaw the operation, with soldiers abducting the victims and executing all but one at a Paramaribo fortress.
Bouterse has vehemently denied the charges, claiming the deceased were involved in a foreign-backed invasion plot. His party, the National Democratic Party, echoed this claim on Friday, accusing the Netherlands and the United States of meddling in Surinamese affairs.
Meanwhile, advocates for the victims and international observers expressed little surprise at Bouterse’s defiance. “The authorities have shown an admirable determination to uphold the rule of law, and I expect them to enforce the arrest warrant,” said lawyer Reed Brody, who monitored the case for the International Commission of Jurists.
Current President Chan Santokhi, who investigated the case as a police commissioner and later pushed for its prosecution, now faces a crucial test of his commitment to justice. With the manhunt for Bouterse underway and international scrutiny mounting, Suriname stands at a crossroads, grappling with the legacy of a brutal past and the fragile hope of a more just future.