A Guatemalan court has found two men guilty of crimes against humanity for the rape, murder and enslavement of multiple women at the Sepur Zarco military base in the 1980’s. The court’s decision is the first conviction of former soldiers for crimes of sexual violence committed during the period of “military conflict” in Guatemala. The two men, a former commander and a paramilitary member, were sentenced to a total of 360 years in prison. As reported by BBC News, Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu called the court’s verdict “historic” and “a great step for women and above all for the victims.”
Compiled from: Guatemala: Rape sentences in landmark military trial, BBC News (27 February 2016).