Ten retired Peruvian soldiers convicted of raping women and girls in the 1980s

A Peruvian court sentenced ten retired soldiers to up to twelve years in prison on Wednesday for raping nine women and girls from rural areas during the army’s fight against the Maoist Shining Path guerrillas in the 1980s.

The verdict ended five years of hearings in the South American country’s first case involving sex crimes committed by soldiers. The men were convicted in earlier trials.

Judge Rene Eduardo Martinez sentenced the men, none of whom appeared in court, to prison terms ranging from six to twelve years.

The case dates back to 1984, when the army set up a base near the Andean cities of Manta and Vilca in Huancavelica, one of the poorest regions in Peru.

Many of the victims were minors at the time of the rape and five of them became pregnant as a result of the rape, their lawyers said in court.

“It’s been 40 long years of struggle,” said a victim identified only as Maria in a voice message sent to AFP by her lawyer.

Maria, now 54, has two children who were born through rape.

“Hopefully … these criminals will go to prison now,” she said.

According to the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission, hundreds of cases of rape, sexual slavery, prostitution and forced abortion occurred during the war between state forces and the Shining Path from 1980 to 2000.

According to the Commission, more than 69,000 people died or disappeared during Peru’s civil war and human rights violations occurred on both sides.

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