A court in Peru has sentenced ten retired soldiers up to twelve years in prison for raping nine teenage girls and women many years ago during the country’s armed conflict.
The sentencing ended five years of hearings in the first case in the South American country to address sexual crimes committed by soldiers.
The court deemed these systematic rapes as a crime against humanity.
Judge Rene Eduardo Martinez sentenced the men, none of whom were in court, to between six and 12 years’ imprisonment.
While some rights groups were pleased with the convictions, a few survivors expressed disappointment that the prison terms were not lengthier.
The case dates back to 1984 when the army set up a base near the Andean towns of Manta and Vilca in Huancavelica, one of Peru’s poorest regions.
Many of the victims were minors when they were raped, and five became pregnant as a result, their lawyers told the court.
The soldiers convicted on Tuesday had been stationed in the districts of Manta and Vilca, nestled in the Andes mountains.
The court determined that they systematically assaulted local girls and women within their army bases, at checkpoints, and even in the women’s residences.
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