The US Department of State has enacted an entry ban on Desi Bouterse, former President of Suriname, and six former military officials due to their alleged involvement in what have come to be known as the December Murders of 1982. The decision, made on Friday, prevents Bouterse, the six officials, and four family members from entering the US, declaring them “ineligible for entry” under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act.
Bouterse served as President of Suriname from 2010 to 2020, but his grip on power extends back to a military coup in 1980, where he and 15 fellow officers garnered control of the Surinamese National Army. Among his most infamous actions was the execution of 15 political opposition figures, including a mix of journalists, professors, scientists, and businessmen, in December 1982. These killings have since been memorialised with a plaque in Amsterdam, and remembered as the December Murders.
Bouterse went on trial in 2008 for his role in the December Murders and was subsequently sentenced to 20 years imprisonment twice, in 2019 and 2021, with both decisions unsuccessfully appealed. The High Court in Suriname confirmed the sentencing in a final decision made in December 2023, marking the end of long legal proceedings.
However, Bouterse is currently at large. He failed to report to prison in January of this year following his conviction. His wife, former first lady Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring, maintains she is unaware of her husband’s whereabouts. Consequently, Suriname’s Public Prosecution Service has initiated an international search for the past president.