Suriname (former Dutch Colony ion South America) to prosecute for 1982 massacre
A military tribunal in Suriname ruled Friday that those accused of a 1982 massacre - including the country's former dictator - must stand trial. A judge found no reason to dismiss the case against former ruler Desi Bouterse and 11 of the 26 suspects. An attorney for Bouterse requested in December that the case be dropped because it was politically motivated, among other reasons.Friday's ruling clears the way for the court to hear testimony from suspects and witnesses. No date has been set yet. Ex-government and military officials are accused of rounding up 15 politicians, journalists, union leaders, lawyers and soldiers and killing them in an ancient fort in Paramaribo on Dec. 7, 1982. A union leader and politician, Fred Derby, who survived, testified before his death in 2001 that Bouterse personally set him free. An investigation into the killings began in November 2000 after a request from surviving relatives of the victims. The request was submitted two months before the statute of limitations expired. Bouterse has repeatedly accepted political responsibility for the killings but denied direct involvement. He seized power in a 1980 coup and ruled the tiny South American country until 1987.
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