December Murders

December Murders refers to the murders on 7, 8, and 9 December 1982, of 15 prominent young Surinamese men who criticized the then military dictatorship in Suriname. These 15 men were arrested on December 7 between 2 AM and 5 AM in their houses while sleeping (according to the stories told by the family of the victims) by soldiers of dictator Desi Bouterse. They were brought to Fort Zeelandia where they were heard as 'suspects in a trial' by Bouterse and other sergeants in a self-made court. After these 'hearings' they were shot dead. The circumstances have not become completely clear yet; on December 10, 1982, Dési Bouterse claimed on national television that all victims were shot dead 'in an attempt to flee'. Others have spoken of torture, murder and summary execution.

The December Murders led to international protests by lots of Western countries and human rights organizations. The former colonial power, Netherlands, froze development aid afterwards. Lots of Surinamese civilians (especially those of Indian descent) left Suriname and fled to the Netherlands.

Desi Bouterse always denied being guilty of murdering any of those 15 men, however, he did later accept political responsibility, but he says he is not the one who 'pulled the trigger'. However, in March 2012, a former confidant of Bouterse testified under oath that Bouterse personally shot two of the victims.