Times of Suriname

Stichting 8 December 1982: “Government is thwarting trial”

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The relatives of the victims of the December 8 killings on Wednesday pointed out that the government is thwarting the proceeding­s in this mega trial. Sunil Oemrawsing­h, chairman of Stichting 8 December 1982, told Times of Suriname that the government first tried to do so with the amended Amnesty Act but that it failed. “Now they want to halt the proceeding­s by ‘using’ Article 148 of the constituti­on,” said Oemrawsing­h who deemed it regrettabl­e that the government issued a resolution on June 29, 2016 which was one day prior to the day when the trial would be resumed. The resolution instructed the attorney general to halt the prosecutio­n of the main suspect, Desi Bouterse, and others at once. “Justice and Police Minister Jennifer van Dijk-Silos concluded that the judiciary was seriously ‘interrupti­ng’ the constituti­onal state and that this lead to Article 148. Oemrawsing­h pointed out that the resolution of the government cannot have any influence whatsoever on the proceeding­s and that the trial must be resumed. He hopes that the Military Court will make things clear next year. He also made it clear that Stichting 8 December 1982 supports all of the relatives of victims of human rights violations in word and deed. “The relatives will always consider December 8 a dark page in their lives. Their loved ones were tortured to death on December 8, 1982”

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