A Guatemalan court has sentenced three former paramilitaries to 40 years in prison for raping six Indigenous women during the country’s civil war. This landmark ruling took place on Friday and is seen as a crucial step toward justice for the Maya Achi women who suffered severe abuse at the hands of pro-government armed groups from 1981 to 1983, a time marked by extreme violence and conflict.
The three men—Pedro Sanchez, Simeon Enriquez, and Felix Tum—were convicted of crimes against humanity. Judge Maria Eugenia Castellanos emphasized the bravery of the women who testified against their attackers, stating that they recognized the men and the locations of the assaults. She acknowledged the stigma attached to such crimes and praised the women for their courage in coming forward.
Indigenous lawyer Haydee Valey, who represented the victims, called the sentence “historic.” It acknowledges the long struggle for justice by survivors of the civil war, a conflict that resulted in approximately 200,000 deaths or disappearances.
In the courtroom, several Maya Achi women celebrated the verdict, with some wearing traditional clothing and others listening through an interpreter. One victim, a 62-year-old woman, expressed her happiness with the ruling. However, Pedro Sanchez maintained his innocence, claiming he was wrongly accused.
This trial is the second in a series of legal actions related to the sexual violence faced by Indigenous women during the civil conflict. In January 2022, five other former paramilitaries were sentenced to 30 years in prison for similar crimes.
Advocacy group Impunity Watch highlighted that this case underscores how the Guatemalan military used sexual violence as a weapon during the war. In a notable previous case from 2016, two former military officers received a combined 360 years in prison for holding 15 women from the Q’eqchi community as sex slaves.
This recent conviction is a significant moment in the ongoing fight for justice for Indigenous women in Guatemala, highlighting the need for accountability for past atrocities.