Court Imposes 40-Year Prison Terms on Three Ex-Paramilitaries for Raping Six Indigenous Women in Guatemala
Guatemalan Court Sentences Three Former Paramilitaries for Sexual Violence Against Indigenous Women
In a significant ruling, a Guatemalan court has sentenced three former paramilitaries to 40 years in prison each for systematically committing sexual violence against six Indigenous Maya Achi women between 1981 and 1983. The convicted, Sanchez Cortez, Enriquez Gomez, and Tum Ramirez, were part of the Civil Defense Patrols (PAC), armed groups aligned with the army during Guatemala's civil war.
The trial, lasting four months, presented 168 pieces of evidence, including direct testimonies, expert reports, and documentary evidence. Judge Maria Eugenia Castellanos, in her ruling, stated that "the women recognized the perpetrators, recognized the places where the events occurred. They were victims of crimes against humanity committed through sexual violence."
She recalled during her argument of the verdict that among the six victims of sexual violence, there were pregnant women who "lost their child" and still have health problems to this day. The judge added that "the damage suffered" by the six victims of sexual violence "is irreversible" and was treated in a "grotesque and vulgar" manner.
The charges against Cortez, Gomez, and Ramirez were proven by the tribunal, a panel of three judges. The three former paramilitaries were released in 2019 by a judge for the same crime but had to face a new public and oral debate because the victims' defense appealed, and it was accepted as arbitrary. The rapes took place between 1981 and 1983 in the province of Alta Verapaz, specifically in the municipality of Rabinal, about 200 kilometers north of Guatemala City.
The internal armed conflict, which took place between 1960 and 1996, left more than 250,000 people dead or disappeared, most at the hands of the state, according to reports from international organizations. This case is part of a broader justice process for Maya Achi victims, initiated after dozens of women came forward to report wartime sexual violence.
One of the most striking testimonies was that of Paulina Ixpata, who recounted how she was captured by soldiers, detained for 25 days in a military detachment, and repeatedly raped. The conviction of this Friday represents a new milestone in the search for justice for the victims of the armed conflict and reaffirms the importance of the testimony of Indigenous women, who for decades faced silence, stigma, and fear to tell their truth in the courts.
This ruling reaffirms that crimes against humanity, including sexual violence, committed during internal armed conflicts will be prosecuted, and survivors' attempts to seek justice will not go unanswered. The Prosecutor's Office and human rights organizations have celebrated the ruling as a historic victory for the memory and dignity of the Mayan people.
In the broader context of general news and crime-and-justice, this ruling by a Guatemalan court sentenceing three former paramilitaries to 40 years in prison each for sexual violence against Indigenous women is significant and serves as a testament to the importance of politics and war-and-conflicts trials. The conviction highlights the ongoing pursuit of justice for victims of war crimes, particularly cases of sexual violence against Indigenous women, who for decades have faced silence, stigma, and fear to tell their truth in the courts.
