An anniversary, but not a happy one

Pres. Desi Bouterse

Meanwhile, back in Suriname . . . we read:

Dec. 8, will mark the 35th anniversary of the killing of 15 of Suriname’s most prominent citizens for allegedly opposing military rule, two years after it had toppled the then-elected government because authorities resisted efforts by soldiers to form a labor union.

Survivors of the mass murders, opposition politicians and civil society will organize candlelight vigils and other activities to mark one of the darkest periods in modern Surinamese history, but even as they do they can take some hope that a court is now preparing to hand down sentences on approximately 20 suspects for the 1982 murders.