Murder suspects of IKON journalists arrested after 40 years in El Salvador
Suspects were first arrested in El Salvador for the 1982 murder of four Dutch IKON journalists. According to the TV program zembla the elderly former Secretary of Defense Guillermo Garcia; and Colonel Francisco Antonio Morán, the former director of a special police unit.
The former minister lived in the United States until early 2016. He was expelled from the country for involvement in human rights abuses in El Salvador. The two suspects will appear before a judge in the town of Chalatenango on Monday.
Relative is hopeful
For Gert Kuiper, the brother of the murdered Jan Kuiper, the news of the arrests came as a big surprise. “This is really good news, I hope it goes to trial. These arrests give me hope that impunity will be lifted,” he told NOS.
Kuiper is also pleased that El Salvador are demanding the extradition of Colonel Reyes Mena, the leader of the unit that fired on the Dutch. He went to the United States two years after the murders and still lives there. “The Americans can hardly let him live in Virginia undisturbed now,” says Kuiper.
Gert Kuiper and other relatives received the news of the arrests from their lawyers. zembla reports that representatives of the Dutch prosecutor’s office are traveling to El Salvador to speak with the suspects.
The Interkerkelijke Omroep Nederland (IKON) was a Dutch public broadcaster that produced programs on behalf of seven denominations. The channel closed in 2016 after budget cuts. The EO took over some program titles.
Source: NOS
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