A court in Suriname has convicted the South American nation's president, Desi Bouterse, in the 1982 killings of 15 political opponents and given him a 20-year sentence. It's unclear what happens next. Bouterse is currently in China on an official trip.
FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2015 file photo, Suriname President Desire "Desi" Delano Bouterse observes a military parade, after being sworn in for his second term, in Paramaribo, Suriname. A Suriname court on Friday, Nov. 29, 2019, convicted Bouterse in the 1982 killings of 15 political opponents and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
PARAMARIBO, Suriname — A court in the South American country of Suriname convicted President Desi Bouterse on Friday in the 1982 killings of 15 political opponents and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. The judges did not issue an arrest order, and Bouterse’s attorney, Irvin Kanhai, immediately appealed the decision, calling it a “political verdict.”
The case is known in Suriname as the “December killings,” and the victims included some of the most prominent citizens of Suriname such as lawyers, journalists and a university professor. Bouterse and 24 co-defendants are accused of rounding them up and executing them inside a colonial fortress in the capital of Paramaribo.
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