Sawt Falasteen - Suriname court upholds 20-year sentence for ex-president in murder trial

The verdict puts an end to the legal saga surrounding the onetime strongman of the small Dutch-speaking South American nation, but some fear the decision could result in unrest.

Bouterse was not present for the hearing in the capital Paramaribo, which took place with a large presence of security forces outside the court.

In 2019, Bouterse was convicted over the execution of 15 people -- lawyers, journalists, businessmen and military personnel -- in December 1982, two years after he took power following a coup.

Bouterse appealed the verdict and has remained free awaiting the outcome of the case.

"This is the most important criminal trial in Suriname's history," said Reed Brody, who represented the International Commission of Jurists in the courtroom.

"That a final decision will be delivered, after so many delays and detours, is a tribute to the courage and independence of Surinamese judges, the perseverance of the victims' families and the resilience of the rule of law."

In the appeal, the former president's lawyer had asked for an acquittal, while Suriname's attorney general had again asked that Bouterse be jailed for 20 years.

After the appeal decision, 78-year-old Bouterse's only remaining option is to ask for clemency.

The ruling comes as tensions are already high in the small country -- wedged between Guyana and French Guyana -- which has seen protests against soaring inflation and austerity measures.

"The police are on alert, backed up by other security forces," Justice Minister Kenneth Amoski said in a statement.

- 'I'm ready for it' -

In July, Bouterse -- who remains very popular, notably with the country's poor and working classes -- said he would respect the ruling.

"Whatever it will be, I'm ready for it," he said, adding he was "convinced that the other judge, history, will acquit me 100 percent."

On the eve of the ruling, the Dutch and French embassies in the capital Paramaribo warned of possible unrest.

Police announced road closures that will make it difficult for Bouterse's supporters to approach the courthouse.

The Suriname Business Association called on security forces to maintain order following the verdict.

"We call for calm and mutual respect," it said in a press release. "We trust that all citizens will exercise their right to peaceful protest, taking into account the need to maintain public order and security."

Bouterse has denied involvement in the 1982 killings, saying the victims had been held for plotting a counter-coup with the help of the CIA, and had been shot while trying to escape.

In 1999, a court in the Netherlands, Suriname's former colonial ruler, sentenced Bouterse to 11 years in prison in absentia for cocaine smuggling, another charge he denies.

He later served as president of Suriname from 2010 until 2020, protecting him from extradition.

According to Suriname law, Bouterse now has eight days to write the country's president to ask for pardon. President Chan Santokhi may ask the judge for advice, but he is not bound and can decide on a pardon for himself.

Bouterse's one-time bodyguard and now arch-foe, Ronnie Brunswijk, is the current vice president.

T.Khatib--SF-PST