Murder trial of Suriname's ex-dictator resumes
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| Published on Saturday, October 31, 2009 |
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By Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent
Email: ivan@caribbeannetnews.com
PARAMARIBO, Suriname -- A mother and sister told a military court here on Thursday how their son and brother in December 1982 was dragged from his home by armed soldiers and was a day later among the victims shot and killed in the then military headquarters Fort Zeelandia in Paramaribo. The chilling and sometimes very emotional accounts came during a hearing in the murder trial of Suriname’s former army commander and dictator Desi Bouterse.
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| Desi Bouterse |
For the two-day hearing prosecutors subpoenaed five witnesses living in the Netherlands, including three relatives of the victims and two former army officers.
Madelaine Henar-Rahman, mother of slain journalist Lesley Rahman, told the court that several armed soldiers collected her son on the early morning of December 1982.
“You don’t have to worry mom. I didn’t do anything wrong,” he told his mother when he was being taken away.
The 80-year-old witness further noted that earlier she had warned her son who as a journalist was being very critical of the military government. She related to a press conference on television when junta-leader Bouterse told Rahman, that he didn’t know that he was playing with fire by being critical.
According to the witness this was a clear threat and she subsequently warned her son in a birthday card “to be careful” and to avoid confrontation with Bouterse.
In her statement before the court, the victim’s sister Joyce Rahman noted that, when she had to identify her brother’s body in the morgue, it was riddled with bullets, while there was a gunshot wound in his forehead. The right side of his face also bore marks of violence. “it was horrible,” said the witness.
After her testimony she told reporters that she was pleased for having he chance to make her statements before a tribunal. “It is important that the world and especially the young generations are aware that Bouterse is a murderer and should be punished,” Rahman said.
Former army sergeant Samuel Monsels (56), currently living in the Netherlands, stated that a tremendous shock went through the Surinamese army when soldiers in the morning of December 8 1982 learned that fifteen people who were arrested the day before had been shot and killed in Fort Zeelandia.
Monsels recounted that together with several other soldiers he was ordered to arrest John Baboeram, a defence lawyer. Monsels who drove the truck carrying the victim’s bodies to the morgue later discovered that Baboeram was among the dead. According to the former army sport instructor Bouterse was present at the Fort on December 7, 1982. He didn’t see the army commander the other days but since his bodyguards were present he assume that Bouterse was there.
Nirmala Rambocus gave a detailed account how her brother Soerindre Rambocus, an army officer, was taken from his cell where he was incarcerated for a botched coup attempt, subsequently transferred to Fort Zeelandia and executed.
Bouters came to power after a coup on February 25, 1987 and relinquished power after an electoral defeat in November 1987. He briefly seized power again during a bloodless coup in December 1990, but his party lost the elections in May 1991.
Together with the ex-dictator, 24 others including army officers, politicians, civilians and ex-army officers are standing trial for the murder of 15 critics of the then military government. | | | | Reads : 709 | | | |
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