Landmark ruling against military

The Church in Guatemala has hailed a landmark ruling in which two former soldiers have received life sentences for crimes committed during the country’s civil conflict, writes Isabel de Bertodano.

Francisco Reyes Giron and Heriberto Valdez Asij were found guilty of the murder, rape and sexual assault of dozens of indigenous women in the 1980s when the Guatemalan Government led a campaign to wipe out large portions of the country’s Maya people, some of whom supported the left-wing rebels.

Nery Rodenas from the office of human rights of the Archdiocese of Guatemala said the ruling would set a precedent for affirming the dignity of people and holding the armed forces responsible.

The human rights office was set up by Archbishop Juan Gerardi, who was assassinated in 1998 after publishing a report into the brutality of the Guatemalan military.