Former Salvadorian officers sentenced to murder of journalists

Former Salvadorian officers sentenced to murder of journalists

In El Salvador, three former high-ranking military was imposed on a 15-year prison sentence for the murder of four Dutch journalists in 1982. This case is one of the best known during the civil war in the Central American country.

Details on the judgment

The three defendants were convicted on Tuesday for the killing of journalists Koos Joster, Jan Kuiper Joop, Johannes Jan Wilemsen and Hans Ter Laag. These reported on a group of former Guerrilla fighters of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) for the icon of television in 1982, some of them were armed.

Investigations and truth commission

eleven years after the incident, an UN truth commission found that the attack was "intentionally planned to surprise and kill the journalists." The process took place in the exclusion of the public and information about the pleading and arguments of the accused were not published.

context of the civil war

The civil war in El Salvador lasted from 1980 to 1992 and compared Left Guerrillas of the Salvadorian army supported by the USA. 75,000 people died in this conflict, another 8,000 were missing.

condemnation of the accused

Former Minister of Defense General Jose Guillermo Garcia was convicted by a jury in the North Salvadorian city of Chalatengo. Together with him, two colonists, the former head of the treasure police Francisco Moran and the former brigade commander Mario Reyes, were convicted. The three, aged 91, 93 and 85, were convicted in absence. Garcia and Moran are in custody in a hospital due to health problems, while Reyes currently lives in the United States. El Salvador tries to return.

reactions and effects

"The truth and justice have won, we won," said Oscar Perez, a representative of the Comunicandonos Foundation, which represents some of the relatives, to the journalists. "The focus is now on the victims; not the perpetrators." The public prosecutor had requested a 15-year sentence, taking into account the age and health states of the military.

symbolic measures for justice

The jury also issued a civilian conviction of the Salvadorian state due to the delay in case law. This is a symbolic measure that imposed the commander -in -chief of the armed forces, President Nayib Bukele, publicly asked for forgiveness to the victims.