Koos Koster in El Salvador

Introduction

A large number of collections at the IISH deal with the press, freedom of the press, and human rights. For World Press Freedom Day 2003 the IISH also calls attention to an event from the past, and in doing so, it refers to the relevant collections. This event is the violent deaths of four Dutch journalists in El Salvador in 1982. Koos Koster, Jan Kuiper, Joop Willemse and Hans ter Laag were killed on 17 March 1982 in El Salvador.
The following information is available on this site:

- March 17, 1982: the fatal event.
- Biographical information on Koos Koster and committed journalism.
- Facsimile of the last article by Koos Koster - (in Dutch).
- Press Freedom Links

World Press Freedom Day

On 3 May people the world over celebrate World Press Freedom Day. In the past this event has not been very important in the Netherlands, because of media attention for the national holidays 4 May (Remembrance Day for those who died in the wars) and 5 May (the day Dutch people celebrate their freedom). Both these days call attention to persecution, repression, resistance, and democracy.
In 1993, however, the UN General Assembly declared 3 May as World Press Freedom Day, a commemoration that stemmed from the UNESCO General Conference in 1991 recognizing a free, pluralistic, and independent press as an essential component for any democratic society.

In cooperation with the Press Museum, the International Institute of Social History also focuses on the freedom of the press. On 3 May 2003 there was a meeting at the IISH and the Press Museum for World Press Freedom Day.
See the programme. (in Dutch)