After the judiciary’s break, the decision in the appeal of the December 8 case will be rendered. Hugo Essed, the attorney for the next of kin, anticipates that the final hearing will be scheduled no later than November 2023. It continues till the beginning of October. Essed said to reporters during yesterday’s session, “In any event, the Court has stated that the decision will be made this year. Desi Bouterse, the primary suspect in the December 8 case, had already received a 20-year prison term in the initial judgment. The Public Prosecution Service again wanted 20 years in response to an appeal. However, it also includes this time capture. According to Essed, the suspects, if convicted, will be immediately taken into custody.
On Monday, Bouterse’s attorney, Irvin Kanhai, issued a 30-page rejoinder in the case. Then Bouterse was allowed to give his last word. “The last word of Bouterse was legally null and void. His speech was completely incoherent. He has not said a word about what happened on December 7, 8 and 9, 1982,” said Essed. The relatives had expected just that. Henk Kamperveen, son of 8 December victim Andre Kamperveen, walked away from the courthouse halfway through Bouterse’s last word. “I wasn’t here before. Perhaps I had a vain hope that he would tell something about the day of December 8, 1982 after all. But it seemed like he was teaching history,” Kamperveen said to journalists. Essed said it was a fictional history that Bouterse was talking about.
Essed says that the Public Prosecution Service has clearly put the case on the table. According to him, there is nothing more to argue. A possible pardon for Bouterse, Essed does not see that possible. “Then the president must ask the Court of Justice for advice. I do not expect the Court to be positive
