Ex-Suriname president convicted in killings ordered to report to prison-prosecutor

FILE PHOTO: Former Suriname president Desi Bouterse speaks during a news conference after the Court Martial of Suriname confirmed a 20-year jail sentence for his involvement in the murder of 15 people while he ruled in 1982 during his military government, in Paramaribo, Suriname August 31, 2021. REUTERS/Ranu Abhelakh/File Photo

PARAMARIBO (Reuters) - Former Surinamese President Desi Bouterse, whose conviction for involvement in the killing of 15 people more than four decades ago was upheld in December, must report to a jail to serve his sentence, the public prosecutor said on Wednesday.

A three-judge panel affirmed the convictions of Bouterse and four others in the execution of 15 government critics, including lawyers, journalists, union leaders, soldiers and university professors in December 1982.