A former defense minister and two retired colonels in El Salvador were convicted for the 1982 killings of four Dutch journalists during the civil war. The jury sentenced them to 15 years in prison, reducing their potential 30-year sentences due to their age and health issues. This significant case, highlighting impunity and accountability, follows decades of unresolved queries about the murders, which occurred amid a brutal conflict. Advocacy groups welcomed the trial as a historic milestone in seeking justice for war crimes.
"The fight against impunity took a long time, but it was won," said Dutch ambassador for all of Central America, Arjen van den Berg.
"The trial is a decisive step in the search for truth and justice," noted the NGOs Fundacion Comunicandonos and the Salvadorian Association for Human Rights.
"The defendants faced up to 30 years in prison but received only 15 due to their age and ill health," explained lawyer Cruz.
"In 1993, a UN-sponsored Truth Commission found the journalists had walked into an ambush planned by Reyes, with the knowledge of other officers."
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