By Ank Kuipers
PARAMARIBO (Reuters) -Suriname’s fugitive former President Desi Bouterse has died aged 79, the nation’s authorities mentioned on Wednesday, nearly a 12 months after he fled authorities to keep away from jail following his conviction over the homicide of 15 political activists in 1982.
“The government has been informed through the family and its own investigations of the passing of Mr. D. Bouterse, ex-President of the Republic of Suriname,” Overseas Minister Albert Ramdin advised Reuters.
The previous chief died on Tuesday, the federal government mentioned, with out confirming the place, and even which nation. Final week Surinamese authorities raided his dwelling – the place supporters gathered to pay their respects on Wednesday morning – however didn’t discover him.
Bouterse dominated politics within the tiny South American nation for many years, main a coup in 1980 and eventually leaving workplace in 2020.
In 2019 he and 6 others have been convicted for his or her position within the 1982 murders of 15 main authorities critics – together with attorneys, journalists, union leaders, troopers and college professors – for which Bouterse obtained a 20-year jail sentence.
Bouterse had claimed the murdered males have been linked to a deliberate invasion of the previous Dutch colony.
Following years of authorized forwards and backwards, Bouterse was ordered to report back to jail in January however he didn’t present up on the appointed date.
The previous president’s household will make an announcement afterward Wednesday, members of his political occasion advised journalists.
