Justice Prevails: Ex-Military Officers Convicted for 1982 Murder of Dutch Journalists in El Salvador

After more than four decades, justice has been served as a jury in El Salvador convicts three former military officers for the murders of four Dutch journalists. Each officer received a 15-year sentence, with widespread international relief and condemnation of the government's historic inaction.

A jury in El Salvador handed down convictions to three former senior military officers for their involvement in the 1982 murder of four Dutch journalists, according to the Comunicándonos Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group for justice. The convicted include General José Guillermo García, 91, a former defense minister; Colonel Francisco Morán, 93, a former police director; and Colonel Mario Adalberto Reyes Mena, 85. Each was sentenced to 15 years in prison following a trial that lasted approximately 10 hours.

The jury also criticized the Salvadoran government for its indecision and failure to resolve the case over the last four decades. General García and Colonel Morán are currently in detention after being arrested in 2022, while Colonel Reyes Mena is in Virginia awaiting extradition, per Dutch government sources.

The four Dutch journalists—Koos Koster, Jan Kuiper, Joop Willemsen, and Hans ter Laag—were working for a defunct Dutch broadcaster in the midst of the Salvadoran civil war, a conflict that claimed tens of thousands of lives. On March 17, 1982, they were in Chalatenango, accompanying rebel fighters when soldiers from the Salvadoran army ambushed them, resulting in their deaths.

Initially, the Salvadoran army claimed that the journalists were killed by gunfire from guerrillas. However, a report by the United Nations Truth Commission for El Salvador in 1993 concluded that the army had orchestrated the ambush and found that Colonel Reyes Mena had issued the orders for the killing, despite his subsequent relocation to the United States.

Reports from the scene mentioned discovering bloodied clothing and numerous spent shells, countering the army's narrative. Witness accounts indicated that there had been a prolonged volley of gunfire prior to the journalists’ deaths, with evidence suggesting they were shot at close range.

The journalists’ deaths incited significant outrage in the Netherlands, fueling demands for justice that have persisted for decades. Dutch ambassador to Costa Rica and El Salvador, Arjen van den Berg, recalled the public's anger at the time, emphasizing that these were journalists simply executing their duties—a reality hard to fathom for many in the Netherlands.

In the wake of the convictions, Dutch officials have expressed satisfaction and gratitude. Caspar Veldkamp, the outgoing Dutch foreign minister, called the verdict “an important moment in the fight against impunity,” recognizing it as a pivotal step toward achieving justice for the slain journalists and their families.