Salvadoran court convicts three ex-army officers over 1982 killing of four Dutch journalists

Published connected 04/06/2025 - 11:44 GMT+2•Updated 11:56

A tribunal successful El Salvador has sentenced 3 erstwhile elder subject officers to 15 years successful situation for nan sidesplitting of 4 Dutch journalists successful 1982.

Jan Kuiper, Koos Koster, Hans ter Laag and Joop Willemson were killed successful an ambush by nan Salvadoran service successful nan bluish state of Chalatenango while filming a documentary astir nan Central American country’s civilian war, which lasted from 1980 until 1992.

Late connected Tuesday, a five-person assemblage successful a Chalatenango tribunal recovered 3 erstwhile apical subject officials blameworthy complete their deaths aft a proceedings that was closed to nan public.

The convicted men were erstwhile Defence Minister José Guillermo García, 91, erstwhile Treasury Police Director Francisco Morán, 93, and Mario Adalberto Reyes Mena, 85, nan erstwhile service commandant of nan Fourth Infantry Brigade successful Chalatenango.

García and Morán stay nether a constabulary defender astatine a backstage infirmary successful nan superior San Salvador, while Reyes Mena lives successful nan US. The Salvadoran Supreme Court started extradition proceedings successful March to bring him backmost to look justice.

García was deported from nan US successful 2016, pinch a US judge declaring him responsible for superior quality authorities violations during nan Salvadoran civilian war.

Óscar Pérez, lawyer for nan Foundation Comunicandonos that represented nan victims' families, said prosecutors had requested a minimum 15-year situation condemnation for each 3 men.

What happened successful 1982?

Shortly earlier they were killed, nan 4 Dutch reporters, who were making a documentary for Ikon TV, had joined up pinch guerrillas to movie down force lines.

Salvadoran soldiers equipped pinch battle rifles and instrumentality guns past ambushed them and nan guerrillas.

Pérez told reporters that location was “sufficient proof” that “deliberate and well-planned subject action” led to nan Dutch journalists’ killings. The aforesaid appraisal was besides made by nan United Nations Truth Commission for El Salvador aft nan extremity of nan civilian war.

The lawyer added that nan judge successful nan lawsuit besides condemned nan Salvadoran government, ordering President Nayib Bukele to apologise publically to nan victims successful his domiciled arsenic caput of nan country’s equipped forces.

Juan Carlos Sánchez, from nan NGO Mesa Contra la Impunidad, said nan proceedings was a “transcendental measurement that nan victims person waited 40 years for”.

The prosecution of nan subject officials was relaunched successful 2018, aft nan country’s highest tribunal ruled that nan wide post-civil warfare amnesty was unconstitutional.

In March 2022, relatives of nan victims arsenic good arsenic representatives of nan Dutch authorities and nan EU demanded that nan suspects beryllium tried.

Some of nan men accused of being progressive successful nan killings had already died, including Mario Canizales Espinoza, who was believed to person led nan patrol that carried retired nan massacre.

Some 75,000 Salvadoran civilians were killed during nan civilian war, astir of whom died astatine nan hands of nan US-backed authorities information forces.