President's murder trial on hold in Suriname

The murder trial of Suriname President Desi Bouterse was adjourned until a constitutional court can review an amnesty law passed in April to determine whether the leader was exempt. Judge Cynthia Valstein-Montnor said it first had to be determined whether amnesty could be granted to Bouterse and 24 others even though the law was passed after the start of the trial over the 1982 execution of political opponents. "The answering of the legal issue is very essential in order to continue the trial", Valstein-Montnor said in her ruling. "We must examine this immunity, if it doesn't cross the fundamental rights of third parties." Last month, a majority of the 51-member National Assembly in the former Dutch colony voted to grant immunity from prosecution to Bouterse and the others charged over the executions during Bouterse's military dictatorship. That amnesty applies to crimes committed between April 1, 1980 and August 19, 1992. It also provides amnesty for the former military personnel who led the 1980 coup that propelled Bouterse to power. Bouterse had been accused of having been present on December 8, 1982, at the military barracks of Fort Zeelandia, the colonial fortress in the capital where the alleged killings of 13 civilians and two military officials occurred. He had faced the possibility of up to 20 years in prison if convicted in the trial launched five years ago in the South American country. Bouterse was elected president by parliament in 2010 but led a ruling military junta from 1980-1987, during Suriname's civil war. Last month, Bouterse's lawyer Irvin Kanhai asked the court martial to dismiss the charges, pursuant to the amnesty law. Some of the other suspects have also asked for the case to be dropped. Bouterse has hailed the amnesty as a "new beginning" for Suriname, but thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Paramaribo last month in protest, demanding justice for the victims and saying no one could be above the law. The Netherlands convicted Bouterse on cocaine smuggling charges in 1999, but he has remained free as Suriname does not extradite its citizens. Interpol has signed an order for his arrest but as president he enjoys immunity. The International Commission of Jurists sent an expert to Suriname to observe Friday's hearing, to determine whether it was in accordance with both international law and Suriname's constitution.