The Guatemalan Civil War went on from 1960-1996.[1] Sepur Zarco is an indigenous Q'eqchi' community in Guatemala. In Sepur Zarco, Mayan Q'eqchi' peasant leaders had angered local landowners by fighting for the legal titles to the land upon which they had lived and worked for years. The landowners called in the army for protection.[2]

The army declared the men of the community as far-leftist insurgents, captured them, and made them disappear. The women of the village were kept as sexual slaves.[3] During the trial the Guatemalan national court examined the military strategies implemented against Q’eqchi’ indigenous women from the community of Sepur Zarco and recognized how the Guatemalan state used sexual violence as a weapon of war.[4][5]

In December 2021, the remains of 112 victims were handed to their families and buried in "the Site of Memory" which was built as a mausoleum to preserve the remains and for future generations to know the history of the community [6]

References

  1. ↑ Mireya, Navarro. "GUATEMALAN ARMY WAGED 'GENOCIDE,' NEW REPORT FINDS". New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  2. ↑ Nina, Lakhani. "Guatemalan soldiers to answer civil war sexual slavery charges in historic trial". Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  3. ↑ "Sepur Zarco case". United Nations.
  4. ↑ "Changing the Face of Justice: The Sepur Zarco Case". Impunity Watch.
  5. ↑ Eulich, Whitney; Reynolds, Louisa (26 February 2016). "Guatemala war crimes verdict breaks grip of impunity". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "Inhuman a 112 víctimas del Conflicto Armado Interno en Sepur Zarco". Prensa Comunitaria (in Spanish). 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
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