10 Ex-Soldiers Jailed for Raping Women and Girls in Peru's Past Conflict

Ten former Peruvian soldiers were found guilty of raping women and girls in the 1980s.

Peruvian court sentences 10 former soldiers to up to 12 years in prison for raping women and girls during 1980s conflict, ending 5-year trial and bringing justice to victims after 40-year wait.

Ten retired soldiers were sentenced to up to 12 years in jail by a Peruvian court on Wednesday for sexually assaulting nine rural women and girls during the 1980s while the army was battling Maoist militants from the Shining Path.

Five years of proceedings in the first case involving sexual offenses perpetrated by soldiers in the South American nation came to a conclusion with the sentencing. These men had previously been found guilty in previous proceedings.

The males, who were not present in court, were given sentences ranging from six to twelve years in prison by Judge Rene Eduardo Martinez.

A victim only known as Maria said, “These have been 40 long years of struggle,” in a voicemail that her attorney forwarded to AFP.

Maria, who is now 54 years old, gave birth to two rape victims.

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

The Shining Path and state forces waged war in Peru from 1980 to 2000, during which hundreds of cases of rape, sexual enslavement, prostitution, and forced abortion were reported to have occurred, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The commission found that throughout Peru's internal strife, violations occurred on both sides and that over 69,000 people either killed or vanished.