LatinNews Daily - 22 April 2024

Suriname: On 12 April the US Department of State designated Suriname’s former president Desi Bouterse (2010-2020) and six former Surinamese military officials – Benny Brondenstein, Stephanus Marinus Dendoe, Iwan Dijksteel, Ernst Gefferie, Kenneth Kempes, and Lucien Lewis – for involvement in “gross violations of human rights”. Specifically, the State Department cited their alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings of political opponents in the so-called December murders of 1982, under the military dictatorship led by Bouterse from 1980-1987. Under the designations, the individuals and four family members are ineligible for entry into the US. In a press statement, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US commended Suriname “for its commitment to the rule of law, including its effort to maintain judicial independence and combat official impunity.” Bouterse is believed to have fled Suriname in January, when he missed the 12 January deadline set by the public prosecution service to hand himself in and serve a 20-year prison sentence.

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