Wilfred Hawker

Wilfred Hawker (1955 – 13 March 1982) was a sergeant-major in the Surinamese military who was involved in two unsuccessful coups d'état in the early 1980s. Hawker was executed by the ruling military government for his role in the plots. He was the last person to be legally executed by Suriname.[1]

Wilfred Hawker
Born1955
Suriname
Died13 March 1982(1982-03-13) (aged 26–27)
Paramaribo, Suriname
OccupationMilitary officer

Events

In February 1980, Dési Bouterse gained control of Suriname after staging a successful military coup, which he led with fifteen other sergeants. Hawker was a member of the group of sixteen who overthrew the elected government. In August, Bouterse dissolved parliament and declared a state of emergency.

Hawker disagreed with these actions and he led a right-wing-inspired uprising against Bouterse's régime, which began on 15 March 1981. The coup failed and Hawker was imprisoned.

On 11 March 1982, Hawker escaped from prison in the midst of another failed coup, this one led by Surendre Rambocus. Hawker was injured the next day and was taken to a military hospital. Bouterse's soldiers arrested Hawker in the hospital and took him by stretcher to Fort Zeelandia. There he was summarily tried and condemned to death for treason. Hawker was executed by firing squad, which was shown on a live Surinamese television broadcast.

In November 2007, Surinamese military judge Dhanoesdharie Nankoesing was pressured to resign after the Dutch periodical Obsession published a photograph of Nankoesing holding a rifle and speaking with Hawker on the stretcher in March 1982 at Fort Zeelandia.[2] Nankoesing denied any involvement in Hawker's trial or executions. He said that he was a Surinamese soldier who carried a weapon as others did.[2]

Notes
  1. "Suriname: Aggravated murder premeditated murder and treason are capital crimes", Hands Off Cain blog, 1 January 2008; accessed 11 August 2008
  2. Ivan Cairo, "Suriname military judge implicated in 1982 execution", Caribbean News Net, 2007-11-21.
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References
  • Jacqueline West (2002, 10th ed.). South America, Central America and the Caribbean (New York: Routledge, ISBN 1-85743-121-9) p. 716
  • Associated Press, "Rebel Leader's Execution Announced by Suriname", New York Times, 1982-03-14
  • David Gillies (1996). Between Principle and Practice: Human Rights in North–South Relations (Montreal: McGill–Queen's Press, ISBN 0-7735-1414-7) p. 63


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