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12/2/07

EU-Digest: Suriname/Paramaribo: Desi Delano Bouterse - The December massacre trial adjourned to December 17

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Suriname/Paramaribo: Desi Delano Bouterse - The December massacre trial adjourned to December 17

Yesterday eleven of the nineteen persons suspected in the so-called "December Massacres" in Suriname appeared at a Military Court on the outskirts of Paramaribo. Security measures at the Court site, which used to be a former residence of Mr. Bouterse, were high. Of the eight suspected that did not appear, in spite of recall, was former military dictator Desi Bouterse. He is seen as the main culprit in the killing of fifteen prominent Surinamers in early December 1982. Following initial deliberations the military court adjourned the meeting to December 17 at the request of Cynthia Valstein-Montnor, the acting President of the Military Court. She also ordered that the Suriname Civil Court should make available all relevant documentation and files to those accused, who had not received this material, by December 6. During the 17 December meeting the legal representatives of the accused and those of the families of the victims will be allowed to argue for or against the legitimacy of the subpoenas served to the accused. Suriname a former Dutch colony became independent in 1975. Mr. Bouterse received his military training in the Netherlands and served in the Dutch army before Suriname's independence.

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