BOUTERSE MURDER TRIAL PROGRESS PROCEEDS IN TINY INCREMENTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARAMARIBO 000325

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - LLUFTIG, USOAS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM PGOV PREL NS

SUBJECT: BOUTERSE MURDER TRIAL PROGRESS PROCEEDS IN TINY INCREMENTS



1. (SBU) SUMMARY. One week after final pre-trial motions were
cleared on June 11 in the murder trial of former military strongman
Desi Bouterse, the Organization of American States (OAS) promised to
send observers in response to a request from the Government of
Suriname (GOS). While he has reacted to past trial progress with
threats, Bouterse's latest reaction was to feign nonchalance.
Meanwhile, the GOS proceeded with detailed arrangements for the
trial venue. If history is any teacher, further delays seem
inevitable. However, if and when the trial starts, Bouterse and his
supporters will likely try to disrupt it and generate social unrest
as well. END SUMMARY.

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More Tiny Steps Forward for Murder Trial
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2. (SBU) Three Surinamese judges cleared final pre-trial motions
on Monday, June 11 and thereby confirmed that former military
strongman Desi Bouterse and twenty other suspects must stand trial
for the December 1982 murders of fifteen democratic opponents.
Bouterse--former military strongman, chairman of the National
Democratic Party (NDP),and Member of Parliament--has denied any
direct involvement in this case, although he has repeatedly admitted
"political responsibility." Observers guess the trial will start in
October, after judicial summer vacations. (NOTE: The trial is
already years behind schedule, and more delays would be routine.)
In Washington on June 18, OAS Deputy Secretary General Albert Ramdin
confirmed that the OAS will send observers to the trial at the
request of the GOS, and said the OAS would need dates in order to
plan.

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BOUTERSE CAN'T BE BOTHERED
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3. (U) Desi Bouterse, who was Army Commander in 1982 when fifteen
prominent opponents of military rule were murdered, is the prime
suspect in this case. Bouterse has always said because he was de
facto head of state during the military period, he feels responsible
for the killings. He also maintains that he was not in any way
directly involved. Over recent years he has shown a range of
different reactions when asked about the start of the perpetually
delayed trial. In 2004, after the preliminary hearings, he stated
he was relieved that he would finally be able to prove his
innocence. In 2005, he threatened judicial authorities, saying,
"they will have to stand for the consequences if I am prosecuted,"
and he repeated this sort of murky verbiage in late 2006 and early

2007. In an interview with a local daily the week of June 11, 2007,
a seemingly indifferent Bouterse told the reporter that his lawyer
is handling the case and that he, Bouterse, is personally more
concerned with "internal party affairs than with the ruling by the
Court of Justice." Bouterse reiterated his position that the
government of President Venetiaan is using this trial to eliminate
him, the GOS's biggest political opponent, and also using it as a
smokescreen to distract Surinamers from the real problems in the
country. He said he might show up for the trial, depending on
circumstances at the time.

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EXTRA SECURITY MEASURES
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4. (SBU) While Bouterse claims nonchalance, the government is
showing every sign of seriousness. The trial will be held at a
marine base in Boxel, located 20 miles south of Paramaribo. In
April the Ministry of Justice and Police declared the marine base a
safe and secure venue for a trial of this magnitude. The Ministry
also assigned seating, as the venue is not large enough to hold all
who would want to attend. A source at the Attorney General's office
told Post that the surviving relatives will be assigned 30 out of
the 70 seats, while the suspects will each be assigned one seat for
a family member. Twenty seats are reserved for the media. Cameras,
laptops and mobile phones will not be allowed in the court room, and
during court sessions all traffic will be diverted from nearby
roads.

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Comment
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5. (SBU) It is hard to get excited about GOS announcements on
supposed trial progress anymore. While the ruling of the judges and
Ramdin's comments give the trial increased legitimacy and would seem
to create a push to finally determine a real start date, trepidation
and bureaucratic inertia will almost certainly win the day and
result in further delays. As for Bouterse, despite his current
claims to the contrary, it is to be expected that he will do
everything in his power to stay out of prison. The most important

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question in Suriname remains how much power he really has. The NDP
is the biggest party in Suriname, and Bouterse has supporters in all
layers and age groups in society, including the criminal world.
Therefore, if the trial goes forward, at the very least protests and
threats to officials involved in the judicial process are a
certainty--some officials have already confirmed threats. The trial
promises to raise the level of tension in Suriname, but it remains
to be seen whether Bouterse has the bite to live up to his bark.
END COMMENT

Schreiber Hughes