Czech Republic: Constitutional Court to check Klaus's presidential amnesty again

The Czech Constitutional Court will discuss the controversial New Year presidential amnesty again, daily Lidove noviny says yesterday, adding that the Constitutional Court recently dismissed a senators' complaint against the amnesty but the new one is based on different arguments.

The amnesty declared by the then president Vaclav Klaus pardoned short prison and suspended sentences and halted the criminal proceedings if they lasted more than eight years and if the maximum prison sentence that can be imposed in such cases does not exceed ten years, including some high-profile corruption and financial fraud cases.

Critics say the latter provision violated the rights of the parties who were damaged by the pardoned suspects and claimed a compensation within the criminal proceedings.

The new complaint has been filed by the Environmental Law Service (EPS) organisation on behalf of a man who lost a chance of reacquiring his lost money as a result of Klaus's amnesty. "It is in the public interest that all possibilities of legal defence against the amnesty be exhausted," EPS lawyer Pavel Franc said.

Read more: LN: Constitutional Court to check Klaus's presidential amnesty again | Prague Monitor

Suriname: Parliamentary support drops for Desi Bouterse - by Ivan Cairo

Desi Bouterse

As a result of a major shake-up of his cabinet, parliamentary support for Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse has now dropped from 36 to 30 of the 51 seats.

In the reshuffle, Bouterse dismissed five ministers, including the ministers of justice and police, sports and youth, physical planning, land and forest management, regional development and public health. They were replaced last Thursday due to poor performance. Meanwhile, three cabinet members will be appointed to other ministries.

During a meeting with officials of the coalition party BEP,  Bouterse said that the party’s service is no longer needed, since the BEP faction in parliament had dropped from four to two seats as a result of infighting.

Sources indicate that Bouterse also notified the New Suriname party that he is no longer counting on their two legislative seats. 

Last month, the MPs and legislators of the BEP faction abstained from voting in favor of the controversial amnesty bill, which granted Bouterse impunity for the so-called ‘December-murders’.


For more: Caribbean News Now!: Parliamentary support drops for Suriname president

The Netherlands: Charles Taylor conviction warning sign for Suriname President Bouterse

The conviction of former Liberian President Charles Taylor by the Sierra Leone tribunal is a warning sign for anyone who has committed heinous crimes against humanity, including Desi Bouterse, says Ruth Wijdenbosch, chairperson of the organization Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and deputy Speaker of Suriname’s Parliament.

“For those who have seen such men go unpunished many times, it is a relief that Charles Taylor will be punished. Finally, his thousands of victims and survivors can see that their fight for justice has not been in vain,” Wijdenbosch tells de Ware Tijd in reaction to Taylor’s conviction late last week. Earlier this month, Parliament granted Bouterse amnesty for his alleged role in the murder of 15 opponents of his regime on 8 December 1982. The trial for these murders will resume in early May.

Wijdenbosch says that the conviction is not only a warning sign for the December murders, but for all human rights violations committed in Suriname and other parts of the world, adding, “Impunity is no longer an option, as you can run, but you cannot hide.” Charles Taylor was President, but did not enjoy immunity for crimes including the recruitment of child soldiers who were drugged and forced to commit the worst atrocities. He will be sentenced next month. With regard to granting amnesty in Suriname, Wijdenbosch says the PGA has paid attention to this through the human rights organizations joined in the Coalition on the International Criminal Court (CICC), and member organizations have all expressed their disapproval. Some have even sent official letters to Speaker Jenny Geerlings-Simons, but she has not replied to any. “Parliament’s correspondence does not show it has replied to the many letters by national and international organizations on this issue,” Wijdenbosch says.

Read more: Charles Taylor conviction warning sign for Suriname murders – Deputy Speaker - Stabroek News - Guyana

Suriname: The Netherlands continues Suriname anti-amnesty lobby

Suriname should not expect a change in policy from the Dutch, despite the fall of the Dutch government. National and international efforts against Suriname in view of the adopted Amnesty Act will be continued.

Lower House legislators Kathleen Ferrier (CDA) and Harry van Bommel (SP), in separate interviews, told de Ware Tijd that outgoing Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has full support of the House. ‘All political parties in the Lower House support the Rutte/Verhage policy towards Suriname with regards to the adopted Amnesty Act,’ Ferrier told dWT. Dutch efforts to get EU and OAS support in condemning Suriname will continue as before, says van Bommel. Both Ferrier and Van Bommel, who are on the Foreign Affairs commission in the House, say that the Dutch cabinet crisis will not favor Bouterse.

In last week’s Suriname debate Rosenthal had already announced that he would address the Amnesty Act in the EU Foreign Council. He said then that many EU countries have no ties with Suriname. Van Bommel, who is expected to be the next Foreign Minister, says that Rosenthal will be at the EU meeting as scheduled. ‘If his presence there is hindered, there will still be ways to address the issue, Ferrier says. Rosenthal had asked during the debates to issue a statement with other countries for international support for the court martial judges. Van Bommel argues that an outgoing government does not have a weakened position internationally, so the policy will be continued as before.

For more: The Netherlands continues Suriname anti-amnesty lobby - Stabroek News - Guyana

"President Bouterse works to put Suriname on the map despite his murder trial" - by Jacqueline Charles

President Desi Delano Bouterse

A year and a half ago, President Desiré Bouterse could barely get an audience with anyone: Regional leaders shunned him. Nervous diplomats raised eyebrows and the tiny South American nation’s former colonial power reminded all that he was a wanted man.

Now, the convicted drug trafficker, one-time dictator and accused killer is winning over citizens and regional leaders as he transforms his image into that of a democrat — even as he stands trial for the December 1982 military roundup and execution of opponents.

“He’s a good leader,” Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said as he and fellow Caribbean Community leaders recently concluded a gathering of their regional bloc, known as Caricom, that Bouterse currently chairs. “I can’t speak about the past. I can speak about the present. I think he means well for Suriname and the region. I’m very impressed of his leadership thus far of Caricom.”

In a statement to The Miami Herald, Bouterse’s cabinet office denied accusations that he’s interfering in the judicial process. Parliament is independent and amnesty is completely in accordance with the constitution, the statement said. “The President is confident and is convinced of his innocence in a fair trial, which he expects,” the office of the cabinet said. “He tirelessly pursues his vision to complete the social and economic goals for the people of Suriname, set out by his government.”

That means improving lives of the Suriname’s half-million people by transforming the isolated, forest-covered former Dutch colony, Bouterse, 66, said in a rare but brief interview.

Note EU-Digest:  reading the article by Jacqueline Charles in the Miami Herald about the "rebirth" of former Suriname dictator Desi Bouterse turned President, one quickly gets the impression that the article reads more like an infomercial "sponsored" by the Suriname Government through its Consulate General in Miami , than a balanced report.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/03/22/2714928/president-bouterse-works-to-put.html#storylink=cpy

For more: President Bouterse works to put Suriname on the map despite his murder trial - Haiti - MiamiHerald.com

The Netherlands: "Faja Lobi Revolution" begins: Suriname amnesty law draws protests in Amsterdam, Suriname and Curacao

Organizer Natascha Adama (photo EU-Digest)

Around 300 people gathered outside the Surinamese consulate in Amsterdam on Tuesday to protest against a law granting amnesty to people involved in the December Murders.

Police say around 250 people took part in the march to the consulate, where they were joined by more protesters.

Organizer Natascha Adama said the march was a protest against the loss of democracy in the former Dutch colony. The law is extremely controversial as Bouterse is currently on trial for his part in the extra-judicial killings. On December 8 1982, 15 opponents of the military regime led by then-army commander Bouterse were dragged from their homes and taken to Fort Zeelandia and murdered.

The Surinamese parliament adopted at the beginning of April; it grants President Desi Bouterse immunity from prosecution for his part in the murder of political opponents in the early 1980s.

There were also protests in Paramaribo, Suriname and on the Caribbean island of  Curacao ( also like Suriname a former Dutch Colony.

EU-Digest

The Netherlands: Dutch urge Suriname not to grant president amnesty

Desi Bouterse following 1980 coup

The Netherlands is pressing former colony Suriname not to grant President Desi Bouterse and others immunity from prosecution for crimes committed under his military dictatorship in the 1980s. 


Lawmakers in Suriname were set to debate a proposed amnesty law Tuesday that would shield Bouterse and 24 associates from prosecution for alleged crimes—including abducting and killing political opponents—carried out in the 1980s.


Bouterse seized power in a 1980 coup. Under international pressure, he allowed the return of civilian rule in 1987 only to launch a second coup in 1990. He stepped down as military chief in 1992, but has remained a powerful force in the nation of 500,000 with lawmakers electing him president in 2010.

Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said in a statement Tuesday that Suriname is obliged by international treaties to "investigate human rights violations and prosecute the perpetrators."

Amnesty International also recently urged Suriname's parliament to reject the bill that would absolve Bouterse for the so-called December killings. The group said the legal proceedings against the president and his associates, which began in November 2007 and have been repeatedly delayed, should be allowed to run their course.

Rosenthal said Surinamese victims "have the right to see the trial proceed. If a court finds the suspects guilty, they should not be allowed to avoid their punishment."

Bouterse was already convicted in absentia of drug trafficking in the Netherlands in 1999, but avoided the 11-year sentence because Suriname does not have an extradition treaty with its former colonial ruler

For more: Dutch urge Suriname not to grant president amnesty - MontereyHerald.com :

Suriname amnesty bill would halt trial of president Bouterse in 1982 killing of opponents

President Desi Bouterse

Lawmakers in Suriname ( a former Dutch Colony which became independent in 1975)  have proposed an amnesty law that would end the long-running trial of President Desi Bouterse, who is accused along with former military associates of abducting and killing opponents of his dictatorship in 1982.

Members of Bouterse’s Mega Combination introduced the legislation Monday, and Andre Misiekaba, the party’s whip, predicted in an interview on state television Tuesday it would pass the parliament by the end of the week.

The bill amends an earlier amnesty law to include any offenses “in the context of the defense of the state,” between April 1, 1980, and Aug. 19, 1992. That time frame would encompass the country’s military dictatorship and civil war.

Bouterse became president in a parliamentary vote in 2010, but he was a military dictator for much of the 1980s. He and his supporters in the military are accused of arresting 15 prominent opposition leaders, including journalists, lawyers and a trade union leader, and executing them in a colonial fort in the capital, Paramaribo.

For more: Suriname amnesty bill would halt trial of president in 1982 killing of opponents - The Washington Post