After his inauguration in 2010, the Surinamese president Dési Bouterse immediately honoured all nine still living conspirators, who together with Bouterse were involved in the 1980 Surinamese coup d'état, with the Grand Cordon of the Honorary Order of the Yellow Star. This led internationally to great controversy, since all nine are accused of involvement in the December murders in 1982, when thirteen civilians and two military officials were murdered because they opposed the military rule in Suriname.