Paramaribo, Suriname — Former President of Suriname Chandrikaprasad SantokhiA former police commissioner who investigated the killings of more than a dozen political opponents in 1982, which deeply shocked the South American country, has died. He was 67 years old.
Santokhi, also known as “Chan”, led the country as President from 2020 to 2025, and previously served as Minister of Justice and Police from 2005 to 2010.
suriname President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons It confirmed Santokhi’s death in a statement on social media, writing that “his years of service in various public functions will be missed.”
The cause of death could not be immediately known.
Prime Minister of the Netherlands Rob Jetton wrote on X that he was “saddened and shocked by Santokhi’s sudden passing”: “As President, and in his other roles, he meant a lot to Suriname. He also worked tirelessly to strengthen relations between the Netherlands and Suriname.”
suriname Is a former Dutch colony.
Caribbean trade group CARICOM also mourned Santokhi’s death, which saw him serve as chair from July to December 2022: “The community has lost a dedicated regionalist.”
President Irfan Ali of neighboring Guyana described Santokhi as a “man of quiet strength” who served his people and country “with dedication and conviction.”
“The region has lost a good statesman who wielded the mantle of leadership with decency and humility,” he wrote on X.
Santokhi took over bankrupt Suriname from his predecessor, former dictator desi boutersand led the country toward economic stability, partly supported by the International Monetary Fund program. However, the strict measures implemented to ensure compliance with the program resulted in major sacrifices for the people of Suriname, including the phasing out of fuel, water and electricity subsidies.
Hundreds of protesters in February 2023 Suriname Parliament stormed Protesting the high prices of fuel and electricity, they demanded Santokhi’s resignation.
voter Refused to give second term to Santokhi After the general elections of May 2025.
Previously, as Minister of Justice and Police, Santokhi cracked down on drug trafficking and other crimes, earning him the nickname “The Sheriff”.
Before entering politics, Santokhi was a police commissioner who led the investigation of the so-called “December murders”, in which 15 political opponents of the Bouterse-led military regime were shot dead in December 1982.
Bouterse faced a criminal trial that began in 2007, a quarter century after the murders. After being convicted twice of the murders, he was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison but remained a fugitive. Until his death in late 2024.
Bouterse accepted “political responsibility” for the killings but always denied that he was present for them.
Even before the trial began, Bouterse accused Santokhi of wanting to imprison and kill him. Both were staunch political rivals.
Santokhi’s success as a police officer and later as a minister paved the way for him to claim the presidency of the Progressive Reform Party in 2011 following the resignation of then-president Ramdin Sardjo.
