Guatemala jails civil war officer and paramilitary in landmark slavery case

A retired army officer and a former paramilitary were jailed for 120 and 240 years respectively for the sexual enslavement of women during Guatemala’s civil war. Second Lt Esteelmer Reyes Giron was found guilty of crimes against humanity for holding 15 women in sexual and domestic slavery and for killing one woman and her two young daughters. Paramilitary Heriberto Valdez Asij was convicted for enslavement, as well as the forced disappearance of seven men. The ruling was the first time a local court handed down a judgment for such crimes in the Central American country, as it seeks to address abuses committed during the 1960-1996 war.

These historic convictions send the unequivocal message that sexual violence is a serious crime and that no matter how much time passes, it will be punished.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International

During the trial, the victims testified to the abuse they suffered during six months in 1982 and 1983 at the Sepur Zarco military base in northern Guatemala. Eleven women from the indigenous Q'eqchis communities described how they physically and emotionally deteriorated while being raped and used as slaves. In court, many wore indigenous garb and had their faces covered. However, the packed courtroom erupted in cheers and chants of “justice, justice!” when the ruling was read on Friday. "We the judges firmly believe the testimony of the women who were raped in Sepur Zarco,“ said Yassmin Barrios, chief judge of the court. "Rape is an instrument or weapon of war, it is a way to attack the country, killing or raping the victims, the woman was seen as a military objective.”

We are going to appeal. We are going to succeed in having this case thrown out. They should go to the location because the people of Sepur Zarco don’t say that all this happened there.

Moises Galindo, the defense lawyer for Reyes Giron

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