Peru has charged fourteen former military officials with crimes against humanity for sexual assaults committed during Peru’s “dirty war” in the 1980’s. These cases mark just the second time that rape will be prosecuted as a crime against humanity in a national court. The first trials occurred earlier this year in Guatemala, where two former soldiers were sentenced to a combined 240 years in prison for mass rapes. If convicted, each Peruvian officer faces eight to twenty years in jail.
Human rights officials estimate as many as 5,000 women were victims of wartime sexual assault in Peru. Many of them kept silent for thirty years for fear of retribution.
Compiled from: Peru soldiers face human rights trial for raping women in 1980s, TeleSur (July 10, 2016).