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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARAMARIBO 000449 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y  ADDING SLUG LINE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR - LLUFTIG 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/OAS - JMAISTO 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL OAS NS
SUBJECT:  MEDIA VIEW - SURINAME FACES ITS TROUBLED PAST 
 
 
PARAMARIBO 00000449  001.4 OF 002 
 
 
REFTEL:  05 PARAMARIBO 000575 
 
1)  (U) SUMMARY:  The following editorial comments on 
Suriname's progress in coming to terms with its troubled 
period of military dictatorship in the 1980s.  The editorial 
appeared in Dagblad Suriname, a local daily with a 
circulation of 13,000, the day before President Venetiaan 
was to preside over a ceremony marking his government's 
compliance with a 2005 Inter-American Court on Human Rights 
ruling against the Government of Suriname. (See reftel)  The 
judgment resulted from a case brought by a local human 
rights group, "Moiwana 86," formed in 1987 to seek justice 
for the gross and systematic human rights violations during 
the period of military rule, after successive Surinamese 
governments failed to respond to their requests to 
investigate and prosecute.  The group took its name from a 
1986 incident from Suriname's interior wars, when a national 
army unit massacred at least 39 residents of the N'Djuka 
village of Moiwana, located about 75 kilometers to the east 
of Paramaribo.   It discusses the political sensitivities of 
dealing with a dark incident from Suriname's history, as the 
key figures from the opposing sides of the 1980s interior 
wars, Desi Bouterse and Ronnie Brunswijk, sit as political 
leaders in today's parliament.   In congratulating the GOS 
for so doing, it enjoins it to move forward next with the 
December murders trial against among others Bouterse. END 
SUMMARY 
 
2)  (U) BEGIN TEXT OF EDITORIAL 
 
Apologizing Publicly is No Humiliation 
 
It is to the credit of this Government to execute the 
judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of June 
15, 2005. The Government is working on executing the various 
parts of the judgment, but already there have been 
complaints about the slow pace at which the Government is 
moving. The Court found Suriname in violation of six 
articles of the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights; 
this puts Suriname in a bad light, but also reflects badly 
on the Surinamese people. It is a good thing that human 
rights violations are condemned in the world of today. 
 
The Court's judgment costs our country millions of dollars 
(an estimated 5 million USD), money that we could have used 
for the development of Suriname. Besides the public apology 
to the community of the N'Djuka village, the State was 
ordered to pay a total amount of US$ 1,690,000 to the 
victims; the 130 survivors will receive compensation for 
material and moral damages. A fund of US$ 1.2 million has to 
be established for community development of the N'Djuka 
village. The Government also has to investigate the massacre 
and prosecute the responsible persons. 
 
What is very strange about this situation is that those 
responsible or at least those with a main role in the 
massacre are currently members of the Parliament. Two main 
figures: Brunswijk and Bouterse are very popular in Suriname 
and are respectively, the Political leaders of A-Combination 
and the National Democratic Party, parties which have 20 of 
the 51 seats in Parliament. A-Combination, which has 5 
seats, is currently in the ruling coalition. Up to now, 
nothing has been said about the investigation of the Moiwana 
massacre, indeed a very sensitive issue in politics in 
Suriname. 
 
On July 15, the President will publicly apologize on behalf 
of Suriname to the Moiwana community for the killings by a 
unit of the National Army on 29 November 1986. The man who 
was the military commander during that period is currently 
the Political leader of the NDP, the biggest political party 
in Suriname, and was chosen by the people to represent them 
in the Parliament. What a dilemma for the President. He 
cannot invite the two to join him on July 15 when he will be 
in the Moiwana village. The internationally motivated 
judgment came about because consecutive governments did not 
investigate what exactly transpired on November 29, 1986 and 
who was responsible for killing the innocent villagers. And 
still we are being very careful. The constitutional state is 
recovering, but is still very fragile. The current Minister 
of Justice and Police and the Attorney General lead this 
process of recovery, and we should not underestimate the 
load on their shoulders especially if we take into account 
the counter forces. 
 
Executing the judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human 
Rights will place Suriname in the category of countries that 
deal with their troubled past. Executing the judgment shows 
 
PARAMARIBO 00000449  002.4 OF 002 
 
 
that Suriname respects human rights. It is of course very 
sad that local human rights NGOs, assisted by international 
NGOs, had to bring this case to an international forum. They 
had to do this, as over the 18-20 years since the killings, 
local efforts to move the Government to investigate the 
killings did not lead to prosecution of the perpetrators and 
compensation of the villagers for damages. 
 
The human rights organizations also have to be complimented 
for their effort and their drive. They brought forward this 
case and were successful in the end. This case shows that 
local groups can be successful in pressuring the Government 
and it also shows that international treaties have to be 
observed. If a country wants to be part of the international 
community, it has to comply with international standards. 
Treaties can't just be signed, but the citizens should also 
be educated so they know the obligations the state has as 
the result of the treaty. How many Surinamese know the 
articles of the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights? 
 
The public ceremony on Saturday should be seen as a 
cleansing ceremony for the Surinamese people and a warning 
for people who violate human rights in the Republic 
Suriname. The next step is that the State should bring 
clarity in the December murders of 1982, because in that 
case there are also families who suffered psychologically, 
morally and materially. 
 
END TEXT OF EDITORIAL 
 
¶3.  (U) In the event, Venetiaan went, and offered the apology 
required by the court ruling, while stressing his current 
government was unimplicated.  Desi and Ronnie did not 
attend, although Brunswijk was present at the second 
ceremony at the actual massacre site.  This thoughtful piece 
captures both the importance and the difficulty of resolving 
the echoes of a difficult period in Suriname's history. 
 
BARNES