El Salvador’s Trial for Murdered Dutch Journalists Postponed After 42 Years

March 17, 2025 – Netherlands – 

After more than four decades of impunity, El Salvador was set to commence the trial for the 1982 murders of four Dutch journalists. However, the proceedings have been postponed until June 3, 2025. The journalists—Koos Koster, Jan Kuiper, Joop Willemsen, and Hans ter Laag—were ambushed and killed by Salvadoran soldiers while attempting to enter guerrilla-controlled territory during the country’s civil war.

The trial involves three former military officials: ex-Defense Minister José Guillermo García, former Treasury Police director Francisco Antonio Morán, and Colonel Mario Adalberto Reyes Mena. García and Morán are currently hospitalized in El Salvador, while Reyes Mena resides in the United States, facing a civil lawsuit there.

The case gained momentum after El Salvador’s Supreme Court overturned a 1993 amnesty law in 2016, allowing for the prosecution of war crimes. Human rights organizations view this trial as a critical step toward justice for victims of the civil war.

The postponement has been a source of frustration for the victims’ families, who have awaited justice for over 40 years. The upcoming trial is seen as a significant opportunity to address past atrocities and reinforce the rule of law in El Salvador

Reference – 

https://nltimes.nl/2025/04/23/trial-murder-four-dutch-journalists-el-salvador-postponed

Murders of Dutch journalists in El Salvador closer to trial after 42 years of impunity

Trial Date Set for Murder of Dutch Journalists During El Salvador War