UN on Suriname Law Change

13 April 2012

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville
Location: Geneva
Subject: Suriname
The High Commissioner is disturbed by the recent decision by Suriname’s National Assembly to pass an amendment to an existing amnesty law, which grants immunity for human rights violations committed during a 12-year period, when the country was for the most part under military rule.
The new law extends the brief period covered by an earlier amnesty law to include any offences that took place between 1 April 1980 and 19 August 1992 “in the context of the defence of the State,” thereby preventing any future investigations of the gross human rights violations that were committed between those two dates.
One case which was already under way and will now presumably be affected, or possibly halted altogether, was initiated in 2007 against the former and current President Desi Bouterse and 24 others. They are accused of taking part in the arrest of 15 prominent opposition leaders, including journalists, lawyers and a trade union leader, in December 1982, and their subsequent summary execution in a colonial fort in the capital, Paramaribo.
The High Commissioner believes this amendment to the law will deny most families of victims their rights to justice, truth and reparation.
International law is clear on the issue of amnesties: they are not permissible if they prevent the prosecution of individuals who may be criminally responsible for international crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and gross violations of human rights.
The High Commissioner sincerely hopes that steps are taken to reverse this legislation as soon as possible, since it clearly conflicts with Suriname’s international obligations and very much runs against the positive trend in many other Latin American countries of prosecuting and, in many cases convicting, individuals responsible for serious crimes that took place during military dictatorships .

ENDS

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