| Honorary Order of the Yellow Star Ere-Orde van de Gele Ster | |
|---|---|
 Star of the order | |
Awarded by Republic of Suriname | |
| Type | Order with five classes and two medals |
| Motto | JUSTITIA PIETAS FIDES (Justice Piety Fidelity). |
| Eligibility | Surinamese nationals or some distinguished foreign persons |
| Awarded for | Those who made important contributions to the Surinamese state or society |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Grand Master | HEChan Santokhi |
| Grades | Grand Cordon Grand Officer Commander Officer Knight |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None (highest) |
| Next (lower) | Honorary Order of the Palm |
_-_ribbon_bar.gif) Ribbon bar of the order | |
TheHonorary Order of the Yellow Star (Dutch:Ere-Orde van de Gele Ster) is the higheststate decoration of theRepublic of Suriname. The Order was instituted in 1975 at theindependence of Suriname and replaced theDutchOrder of the Netherlands Lion. It is awarded to individuals for their meritorious service to the Surinamese people or nation. Foreigners are also eligible to receive the order. The president of Suriname is the Grand Master of the order.
The Honorary Order of the Yellow Star is issued in five classes, plus two medals:
The president of Suriname as Grand Master wears theGrand Order Chain (Groot Ordeketen) of the order. In addition, select foreign heads of state may be honoured with the Grand Order Chain.[1]
TheCollar of the Order, formally theGrand Order Chain, is in gold, with alternating the "Sen" (S-shaped monogram) and gold stars as facets, connected with small chains. The whole chain rests on a folded Ribbon of the order that culminates in two bows. The bows are worn on the shoulders.
TheBadge of the order exists of a gold giltfive-pointed star each topped with a small ball, and gold gilt rays between the arms, resulting in a badge with the shape of apentagon. The central disk shows the yellow star of theflag andcoat of arms of Suriname on white enamel, surrounded by a black enamel and gold edged ring displaying themotto in yellow (also from the Surinamese coat of arms): JUSTITIA - PIETAS - FIDES ("Justice - Piety - Fidelity").
TheStar of the Order is an eight-pointed gold gilt star with straight rays. The central disc is the same as that of the badge.
TheMedal is round, with a gold and silver version. It shows the five-pointed star and a surrounding circlet with the motto of the order.
TheRibbon of the order is red with white stripes at the edges.
After his inauguration in 2010, the Surinamese presidentDési Bouterse immediately honoured all nine still living conspirators, who together with Bouterse were involved in the1980 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 theDecember murders in 1982, when thirteen civilians and two military officials were murdered because they opposed the military rule in Suriname.[2]