PARAMARIBO- Jongeren Tegen Amnesty heeft een schrijven gericht aan de Organisatie van Amerikaanse Staten (OAS). Dit in het kader van de instelling van een waarheidscommissie in relatie met de Amnestiewet . De inhoud van het schrijven in extenso is als volgt:

Dear OAS,

It has come to our attention that the OAS might support the Surinamese government with the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission concerning acts of violations between 1980 and 1992 and hassend a mission to orientate. This truth and reconciliation commission is a strategy of the current government to justify the Amnesty Law 2012 and to gain national and international support for it.

This law has consistently been dismissed by various national and international NGOs, diplomats and groupings as it is in conflict with the Constitution of Suriname, International Agreements and has a side effect that we should not underestimate: It justifies human rights violations!! Also the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has expressed its deep concern with respect to the amnesty legislation in the press.

We are a group of young people that have united to form opposition against any further degradation of the rule of law and democracy in Suriname.. We organized and participated in different peaceful protest when the Amnesty Law 2012 was accepted by Parliament to show our support and trust to the Rule of Law.

We recognize and acknowledge the importance of your work as an overarching institution to empower peace, democracy and justice throughout the America’s, but we want to bring to your attention that any support to the truth and reconciliation commission of Suriname entails support to the breakdown of the Rule of Law in Suriname, for the establishment of a reconciliation commission gives life to the Amnesty Law 2012 and will itself also interfere with the 8 December Trial.

The 8 December Trial is of high importance to Suriname, because it not only brings peace and justice to the families of the 8 December victims but indirectly also to hundreds of other victims (and their families) that have fallen under the same military regime. Disruption of the 8 December Trial as is now occurring will not bring peace to our country but only keep strengthening a perception of unjust, feelings of frustration and only make the process of seeking justice longer and we know that that is not what the OAS stands for.

We hope that the OAS will not support the establishment of a truth and reconciliation committee, if so then i can assure you that our organisation and others against amnesty will protest to this.

Kind Regards,

Jongeren Tegen Amnesty ( Youth Against Amnesty)

Chairwoman, Sharona Lieuw On