Ex-Military Officers Convicted for 1982 Murders of Dutch Journalists in El Salvador

On June 4, 2025, a jury convicted three ex-officers for their involvement in the murders of Dutch journalists during the Salvadoran civil war, highlighting ongoing efforts for accountability decades after the tragedy.

A jury in El Salvador convicted three former senior military officers for their roles in the 1982 murders of four Dutch journalists, marking a significant moment in the pursuit of justice for the victims. The three convicted individuals — Gen. José Guillermo García, 91, a former defense minister; Col. Francisco Morán, 93, a former police director; and Col. Mario Adalberto Reyes Mena, 85 — each received a 15-year prison sentence following a trial that lasted around 10 hours.

The sentencing was announced by the Comunicándonos Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group that has tirelessly campaigned for justice in this case over the years. The jury additionally criticized the government of El Salvador for its failure to resolve the case for more than four decades. While General García and Colonel Morán were taken into custody in 2022, Colonel Reyes Mena is currently in Virginia, awaiting extradition to El Salvador, as confirmed by the Dutch government.

The four slain Dutch journalists — Koos Koster, Jan Kuiper, Joop Willemsen, and Hans ter Laag — were reporting on the ongoing civil war that claimed tens of thousands of lives in the country at the time. They were ambushed on March 17, 1982, while traveling behind rebel lines with members of the guerrilla fighters. Salvadoran army soldiers, who aimed to attack them, opened fire, resulting in their deaths.

Initially, the Salvadoran military claimed that the journalists were killed in crossfire from guerrillas; however, a 1993 report from the United Nations Truth Commission revealed that the military had orchestrated the ambush. The report indicated that the killings had been ordered by Colonel Reyes Mena, who later moved to the United States.

After the killing, investigators found bloodied clothing and numerous spent M16 cartridges in the vicinity of the ambush site. Eyewitness testimonies reported hearing extended gunfire, strongly suggesting a targeted execution rather than a random incident.

The horrific event sparked outrage in the Netherlands, leading to continued demands for justice from both the Dutch government and various organizations in El Salvador over the years. Arjen van den Berg, the Dutch ambassador to Costa Rica and El Salvador, highlighted the intense emotions surrounding the case in a pre-trial blog post, expressing the disbelief that a government could so callously murder journalists.

With the recent convictions, Dutch officials have expressed relief and gratitude, viewing this as a crucial step toward addressing impunity and achieving justice for the victims and their families. "This is an important moment in the fight against impunity and in the pursuit of justice for the four Dutch journalists and their next of kin," stated Caspar Veldkamp, the outgoing Dutch minister of foreign affairs, on social media.