Suriname divided by amnesty ruling - Dutch Press Review Friday 6 April 2012

Suriname :: Informationen und Bilder


Today’s Dutch papers focus o­n former colony Suriname, where the parliament has passed a law that gives President Desi Bouterse immunity from prosecution for the murders of 15 political opponents back in 1982.

De Volkskrant notes that “Suriname has become more divided than ever” as a result of the amnesty. It sees the parliamentary vote as a reflection of how powerful the president is: basically “Bouterse gets what Bouterse wants”.

AD talks to Surinamers in the Netherlands who believe that “the past is the past” and that “putting Bouterse in jail won’t bring back the dead”. But a relative of o­ne of those who died in what have become known as the December Murders says he feels like the parliament has stabbed him in the back.

De Telegraaf leads with a quote from a representative of the victims’ families who says “the victims have been killed all over again”. But it too speaks to Surinamers who want bygones to be bygones, arguing that “the country is moving forward under Bouterse’s leadership”.

Trouw has a word of warning for the president. It reckons that “Bouterse hasn’t saved his skin yet”, reporting that the opposition have vowed to revoke his immunity as soon as they get back into power.

Suriname’s amnesty: what the papers have to say
The Dutch government says it is “shocked and deeply disappointed” by developments and has vowed that Suriname will feel the consequences of its decision. So far Suriname doesn’t seem too bothered by threats. If Trouw is to be believed, the authorities in Paramaribo are “shrugging their shoulders” as they “enter a Cold War” with the Netherlands.

“Poor Suriname”, sighs de Volkskrant, commenting that the amnesty will have “a disastrous influence o­n justice in Suriname” and argues that “true reconciliation comes when the victims ask for it, not the perpetrators”.

AD speaks of “a sad day for justice in Suriname”, while nrc.next observes that “Suriname’s parliament has taken an axe to the roots of the rule of law”.

De Telegraaf fumes that “a country where the majority of the people’s representatives accept that the president can go unpunished for criminal behaviour is nothing more than a banana republic.”

But it’s the cartoonists who offer the most biting commentary. De Volkskrant’s cartoon shows Bouterse with Lady Justice in his lap, shoving his hand up her skirt. Trouw’s cartoonist depicts Bouterse dancing o­n the graves of both the murder victims and the justice system.