Editing Dési Bouterse (section)

=== Honouring of the coup and handling of the December murders===
After his inauguration as president, Bouterse immediately honoured the nine surviving conspirators, who together with him had conducted the violent [[1980 Surinamese coup d'état]]; he awarded them the Grand Cordon of the [[Honorary Order of the Yellow Star]], the highest honor of Suriname. This action was met with international outrage, all nine (and Bouterse) having been involved with the December murders.<ref>[http://www.bndestem.nl/nieuws/algemeen/buitenland/8216544/Bouterse-eert-plegers-staatsgreep-1980.ece "Bouterse eert plegers staatsgreep 1980"],''BN De stem''</ref> 

After becoming president, Bouterse designated 25 February, the anniversary of the [[coup d'état]], as a national holiday.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> Former president [[Ronald Venetiaan]] has said that 25 February should not be a holiday, but a national day of mourning.

Bouterse also awarded suspects in the December murders with high-level government positions. During his presidency, he publicly threatened judges investigating the case and unsuccessfully tried to remove the attorney-general.<ref name="apdead">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/suriname-bouterse-dies-dictator-fe5300461c2239c7bbdb6b5272660ed0 |title=Former Suriname president Desi Bouterse dies in hiding |work=AP News |date=25 December 2024}}</ref>