Fort Zeelandia (Paramaribo)
Encyclopedia
Fort Zeelandia is a fortress in Paramaribo
, Suriname
, that was built by British
colonists
(originally called Fort Willoughby) in 1651 around a small trading post, created by the Dutch. It later returned to the Dutch as Nieuw-Amsterdam, later called New York
, had been traded for Suriname with the British Empire
and it was given its present name in 1667.
After the Surinamese independence in 1975, during the military government of Dési Bouterse
in the 1980s, it was the scene of the "December murders" of 1982 and was used to hold and torture
political prisoner
s.
Paramaribo
Paramaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
, Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, that was built by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colonists
Colonisation
Colonization occurs whenever any one or more species populate an area. The term, which is derived from the Latin colere, "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect", originally related to humans. However, 19th century biogeographers dominated the term to describe the...
(originally called Fort Willoughby) in 1651 around a small trading post, created by the Dutch. It later returned to the Dutch as Nieuw-Amsterdam, later called New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, had been traded for Suriname with the British Empire
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and it was given its present name in 1667.
After the Surinamese independence in 1975, during the military government of Dési Bouterse
Dési Bouterse
Desiré Delano "Dési" Bouterse is the 9th and current President of Suriname.As an army officer, he was the de facto leader of Suriname through most of the 1980s, serving as Chairman of the National Military Council...
in the 1980s, it was the scene of the "December murders" of 1982 and was used to hold and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s.