In December 2023, the ex-president was sentenced on appeal to 20 years in prison for the executions of imprisoned lawyers, journalists, businessmen and soldiers in December 1982. Since then, he has been in hiding .
Former Suriname President Desi Bouterse, convicted of murdering 15 people in 1982 and on the run, has died at the age of 79, the government announced Wednesday. “We are awaiting more detailed and definitive information from official channels, but we would like to extend our deepest condolences to the wife, children and other family members”President Chan Santokhi said in a statement.
Very popular in Suriname, Désiré Delano Bouterse, says «Desi»came to power at the age of 34 following a coup in 1980, when he was a sergeant major in the army. He stepped down in 1987 under international pressure, but returned to power in 1990 after a second coup, this time without bloodshed. Desi Bouterse left office a year later, before being elected president in 2010 and remaining in power until 2020.
20 years in prison
In December 2023, he was sentenced on appeal to 20 years in prison for the executions of imprisoned lawyers, journalists, businessmen and soldiers in December 1982. Since then, he has been in hiding.
His body was transported to his residence in the capital, Paramaribo, where his family and party supporters gathered in the early hours of the morning to bid him a final farewell. Doctor Rabindernath Khoenkhoen confirmed “time of death at 6:50 this morning”10:50 a.m. French time, in a press statement. Chan Santokhi called on the former president's supporters to “remain dignified and remain calm, maintain peace and order and pray in the spirit of these special days”.
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