Judicial authority in Guatemala finds 6 former officials guilty for the deaths of 41 girls in a 2017 fire incident at a state-run facility.
In a landmark ruling, a Guatemalan judge convicted six individuals in connection with the 2017 fire at a state-run facility for at-risk youth, which resulted in the deaths of 41 girls and injuries to 15. The convicted individuals, all former government workers, include former Social Welfare Secretary Carlos Rodas and ex-police officer Lucinda Marroquín.
The fire occurred after 56 girls were punished for protesting abuse by being locked overnight in a small, windowless classroom without water or a toilet. Hours after being locked in the room, one girl lit the fire. Investigators found that Marroquín, who held the key to the room, did not open it when the fire started. Through phone records, it was established that she was talking on her phone at the time of the fire.
The judge, Ingrid Cifuentes, handed down cumulative sentences ranging from 6 years to 25 years for charges including manslaughter and abuse of authority. Carlos Rodas, the former Social Welfare Secretary, received the longest sentence of 25 years. Marroquín was sentenced to 13 years.
The night before the fire, a group of girls had escaped, and were later returned to the home and locked in a room with no bathroom access. Autopsies confirmed the presence of drugs in some of the girls, supporting their complaints that they were given sleeping pills.
The judge also ordered an investigation into former President Jimmy Morales for his role in ordering police deployments at the facility, which housed minors who had not committed crimes. Prosecutors had earlier requested sentences up to 131 years for some of those convicted.
It's important to note that the majority of the children had committed no crime and were sent there by the courts for various reasons such as running away, abuse, or being migrants. The facility, designed for 500 children, was housing approximately 700 at the time of the fire.
This tragic event serves as a stark reminder of the importance of accountability and the protection of vulnerable children in the care of the state.
The Guatemalan judge's ruling, with sentences ranging from 6 years to 25 years for the convicted individuals, brings war-and-conflicts to the forefront of general news, as it highlights the dire consequences of government workers' abuse of authority and policy-and-legislation failures in protecting the world's most vulnerable – in this case, the at-risk youth of the Americas. The politically charged crime-and-justice case involving Carlos Rodas, former Social Welfare Secretary, and Lucinda Marroquín, ex-police officer, underscores the need for transparency and accountability in public offices, as well as a reevaluation of the care provided to minors within state facilities. As a result, the newly ordered investigation into former President Jimmy Morales unfolds, adding another layer to the tangled web of politics and human rights abuses affecting the world at large.
