Victory in court for indigenous women raped during Guatemala's civil war
Five men were sentenced to 30 years each in prison in a ruling hailed as vindication for survivors who have spent years fighting for justice
Sandra Cuffe
Mon 24 Jan 2022 19.15 EST
Indigenous women raped by paramilitaries during Guatemala’s brutal civil war have triumphed in court, when their aggressors were sentenced to 30 years each in prison.
In a verdict hailed as a vindication for survivors who have spent years fighting for justice, a tribunal convicted five former paramilitary patrolmen of crimes against humanity for the rape of five Maya Achi women in the early 1980s.
“We are very happy, very satisfied with the outcome,” said Brisna Caxaj, a sociologist and gender programme coordinator for Impunity Watch Guatemala, who accompanied the women during the trial.
“The tribunal recognised the use of sexual violence during the armed conflict because it was systematic, and it also established how the army used the [paramilitaries] to commit those crimes,” Caxaj told the Guardian.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/25/guatemala-victory-in-court-for-indigenous-women-raped-during-civil-war