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

The trial against former El Salvador Defense Minister José Guillermo García and two colonels for the 1982 murder of four Dutch journalists will begin on April 23, 2025. The case has been ongoing since 2018 and involves evidence assessment by the court. Previously, a UN Truth Commission linked the ambush of the journalists to premeditated actions by military officers.

The trial against former El Salvador Defense Minister José Guillermo García and two colonels for the murder of four Dutch journalists in 1982 is set to commence on April 23, 2025. According to reports from two NGOs, the journalists were killed on March 17, 1982, during a military ambush in Chalatenango while documenting the Salvadoran civil war (1980-1992).

This significant phase of the trial, characterized as “historic,” is anticipated to last approximately one week. The Salvadoran Association for Human Rights and the Comunicándonos Foundation, which represent the victims’ families, affirmed this schedule in their communications. Currently, General García and Colonel Francisco Antonio Morán are detained in a private hospital in the capital, while the third defendant, Colonel Mario Reyes Mena, resides in the United States.

The Salvadoran Supreme Court recently approved Mena’s extradition, paving the way for his potential participation in the process. Lawyer Pedro Cruz, representing the victims’ families, indicated that the court will assess the evidence during the final hearing of this case initiated in 2018. The proceeding will be overseen by the Court of First Instance located in Dulce Nombre de María, near San Salvador, and may occur without Mena’s presence.

The accused former military personnel are all retired. Notably, a UN-established Truth Commission in 1993 determined that the ambush that led to the journalists’ deaths was premeditated, implicating Colonel Reyes and other military officers in the plot.

The upcoming trial against former Salvadoran military officials marks a crucial step in seeking justice for the murder of Dutch journalists during the civil war. Scheduled to begin on April 23, 2025, this stage is vital as the court evaluates evidence gathered since the case’s inception in 2018. The involvement of international human rights organizations highlights the importance of accountability for historical crimes.

Original Source: ticotimes.net