The trial for the former paramilitary soldiers in Guatemala over sexual abuse against indigenous women has begun.

According to BBC, the five ex-paramilitary soldiers who raped at least 36 women, whose names were not disclosed, are former members of Guatemala's Civil Self-Defense patrols (PAC.). The said organization is known to be local militias blamed for "multiple atrocities" during the 1960-1996 war in the country.

NBC News noted that as the trial began this week, several human rights groups hung up blankets and placed flowers outside the court to sympathize with the victims, who are of Maya-Achi origin.

One of the defense attorneys asked the court to postpone the trial for another week. However, Judge Yassmin Barrios said that the debate on the case cannot be postponed.

The trial for the five accused ex-paramilitary soldiers, who deny the charges, will take place in the country's "high-risk court," a court that is dedicated to cases of organized crime and corruption. However, the soldiers joined the hearing through video conference from the jail, where they will remain until a verdict is ruled out by the judge.

"Today is a historic day not just for the Achi women or Rabinal [in Baja Verapaz], but also for the thousands of women who were victims of sexual violence in the armed conflict," Virginia Valencia said. Valencia represents five of the 36 alleged victims of the ex-paramilitary soldiers.

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Guatemala Ex-Paramilitary Soldiers Sexual Abuse

According to prosecutors, the former paramilitary soldiers committed sexual abuse against the Maya Achi women for five years during Guatemala's longest civil war between the military government and the left-wing guerrillas.

During this time, indigenous people were mostly the target of Guatemala's army as they accused the natives of siding with the rebels.

Prosecutors also alleged that one of the victims of sexual abuse was 12 years old during the time of the abuse, and the lives of these women were "shattered."

The sexual abuse reportedly occurred around a small town called Rabinal, located in the department of Baja Verapaz, the north of Guatemala's capital city.

Attorney Lucia Xiloj said that the women "were raped after the [forced] disappearance of their husbands."

The women were not the only victims of the civil war in the country. According to U.N backed truth commission, the 36-year war in the country killed an estimated 200,000 people. Most of the dead were from indigenous Maya civilians. The Guatemalan army was said to be responsible for more than 90 percent of the atrocities.

Other Trials Regarding Sexual Abuse on Guatemala's Indigenous Women

The recent trial is not the only trial that concerned the indigenous women who were sexually abused during Guatemala's Civil war.

In 2016, a military member and a paramilitary soldier, identified as Francisco Reyes Giron and Heriberto Valdez Asij, respectively, were found guilty of crimes against humanity and were sentenced to 360 years of imprisonment. The said ruling was known to be the first successful prosecution for sexual abuse committed against indigenous women in the 1980s.

Reyes Giron served as the former commander of the Sepur Zarco military base, while Valdez Asij was a paramilitary who carried out commissions for the army.

Reyes Giron was found guilty of holding 15 women in sexual domestic slavery. He was also charged for killing one woman and her two daughters.

Valdez Asij, on the other hand, was convicted of the enslavement and the forced disappearance of seven men.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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