Latest news with #PedroSanchez
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Guatemala jails ex-paramilitaries for 40 years over rapes during civil war
A top Guatemalan court has sentenced three former paramilitaries to 40 years each in prison after they were found guilty of raping six Indigenous women between 1981 and 1983, one of the bloodiest periods of the Central American nation's civil war. The conviction and sentencing on Friday mark another significant step towards attaining justice for the Maya Achi Indigenous women, who were sexually abused by pro-government armed groups, during a period of extreme bloodshed between the military and left-wing rebels that left as many as 200,000 dead or missing. Former Civil Self-Defence Patrol members Pedro Sanchez, Simeon Enriquez and Felix Tum were found guilty of crimes against humanity for sexually assaulting six members of the Maya Achi group, Judge Maria Eugenia Castellanos said. 'The women recognised the perpetrators, they recognised the places where the events took place. They were victims of crimes against humanity,' she said, praising the women's bravery in coming to court to testify on repeated occasions. 'They are crimes of solitude that stigmatise the woman. It is not easy to speak of them,' the judge said. Indigenous lawyer Haydee Valey, who represented the women, said the sentence was 'historic' because it finally recognised the struggle of civil war survivors who had demanded justice for decades. Several Maya Achi women in the courtroom applauded at the end of the trial, where some dressed in traditional attire and others listened to the verdict through an interpreter. One of the victims, a 62-year-old woman, told the AFP news agency she was 'very happy' with the verdict. Pedro Sanchez, one of the three men convicted, told the court before the sentencing, 'I am innocent of what they are accusing me of.' But Judge Marling Mayela Gonzalez Arrivillaga, another member of the all-women, three-panel court, said there was no doubt about the women's testimony against the suspects. The convictions were second in the Maya Achi women's case against former military personnel and paramilitaries. The first trial, which took place in January 2022, saw five former paramilitaries sentenced to 30 years in prison. Advocacy group Impunity Watch said the case 'highlights how the Guatemalan army used sexual violence as a weapon of war against Indigenous women' during the civil conflict. In 2016, a Guatemalan court sentenced two former military officers for holding 15 women from the Q'eqchi community, who are also of Maya origin, as sex slaves. Both officers were sentenced to a combined 360 years in prison.
Al Jazeera
16 hours ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Guatemala jails ex-paramilitaries for 40 years over rapes during civil war
A top Guatemalan court has sentenced three former paramilitaries to 40 years each in prison after they were found guilty of raping six Indigenous women between 1981 and 1983, one of the bloodiest periods of the Central American nation's civil war. The conviction and sentencing on Friday mark another significant step towards attaining justice for the Maya Achi Indigenous women, who were sexually abused by pro-government armed groups, during a period of extreme bloodshed between the military and left-wing rebels that left as many as 200,000 dead or missing. Former Civil Self-Defence Patrol members Pedro Sanchez, Simeon Enriquez and Felix Tum were found guilty of crimes against humanity for sexually assaulting six members of the Maya Achi group, Judge Maria Eugenia Castellanos said. 'The women recognised the perpetrators, they recognised the places where the events took place. They were victims of crimes against humanity,' she said, praising the women's bravery in coming to court to testify on repeated occasions. 'They are crimes of solitude that stigmatise the woman. It is not easy to speak of them,' the judge said. Indigenous lawyer Haydee Valey, who represented the women, said the sentence was 'historic' because it finally recognised the struggle of civil war survivors who had demanded justice for decades. Several Maya Achi women in the courtroom applauded at the end of the trial, where some dressed in traditional attire and others listened to the verdict through an interpreter. One of the victims, a 62-year-old woman, told the AFP news agency she was 'very happy' with the verdict. Pedro Sanchez, one of the three men convicted, told the court before the sentencing, 'I am innocent of what they are accusing me of.' But Judge Marling Mayela Gonzalez Arrivillaga, another member of the all-women, three-panel court, said there was no doubt about the women's testimony against the suspects. The convictions were second in the Maya Achi women's case against former military personnel and paramilitaries. The first trial, which took place in January 2022, saw five former paramilitaries sentenced to 30 years in prison. Advocacy group Impunity Watch said the case 'highlights how the Guatemalan army used sexual violence as a weapon of war against Indigenous women' during the civil conflict. In 2016, a Guatemalan court sentenced two former military officers for holding 15 women from the Q'eqchi community, who are also of Maya origin, as sex slaves. Both officers were sentenced to a combined 360 years in prison.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Spain inflation falls below target in May
Spain inflation falls below target in May (Photo: AP) Spanish inflation dipped below the European Central Bank's two percent target in May, preliminary data showed Friday, boosting the case for more interest rate cuts in the eurozone. Consumer price rises in the European Union's fourth-largest economy slowed to 1.9 percent on an annual basis, down from 2.2 percent in April, the National Statistics Institute said. The decline was mainly driven by a decrease in leisure and cultural prices, which had spiked in May 2024 and a slight decrease in transportation costs, the agency said in a statement. The drop reinforces a trend of slowing inflation in Spain and the rest of the eurozone in recent months. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the figures, writing on social network X that his "government is delivering". "We are achieving growth while easing price pressures, despite global uncertainty," he added. His government has gradually scaled back inflation relief measures introduced after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, though some programmes -- such as free public transportation for commuters, remain in place. With inflation close to the two-percent target, the ECB shifted last year to cutting interest rates to boost the eurozone's sluggish economy.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Spain PM Warns West Against 'Double Standards' On Gaza & Ukraine; Sanchez Bats For 2-state Solution
Spain PM Warns West Against 'Double Standards' On Gaza & Ukraine; Sanchez Bats For 2-state Solution Source: Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez issued a fresh call for a two-state solution, slamming the West's 'double standards' on Gaza and Ukraine. At a joint presser with Slovenia's PM Golob, Sanchez cited Palestine's UN envoy breaking down in tears over Gaza's suffering. Both leaders urged a ceasefire, hostage release, and urgent aid delivery. The call comes as Israel's offensive has killed over 54,000 Palestinians and displaced millions since October 7.
North Wales Chronicle
3 days ago
- General
- North Wales Chronicle
Women and girls die in Canary Islands port after migrant boat capsizes
Four women and three girls drowned in the chaotic scene in El Hierro's port while survivors clung to ropes and life preservers tossed to them by rescuers. Spain's maritime rescue service, which located the boat some six miles from shore, said the boat keeled over as rescuers started removing children on to a rescue craft that was positioned between the migrant boat and the quay. The movement of people on the boat caused it to tip and then turn over, throwing the occupants into the water. Emergency services for the Canary Islands said four women, a teenage girl and two younger girls died in the accident. One of the girls was found by a rescue diver. 'The drama witnessed on El Hierro should move us all, (those) lives were lost in an attempt to find a better future,' Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Twitter. A helicopter evacuated two more children, a girl and a boy, to a local hospital in a serious condition after they nearly drowned, the service added. Local media reports said the small boat appeared to be packed with over 100 people. Spanish rescuers and members of the Red Cross pulled people out of the water. Fernando Clavijo, regional president for the Canary Islands, said that there were people trapped inside a part of the boat who 'wouldn't get out'. The Spanish archipelago located off Africa's western coast has for years been a main route for migrants who risk their lives in dinghies and rubber boats unfit for long journeys in the open sea. Thousands have been known to die on the way to European territory. Nearly 47,000 people who made the crossing last year reached the archipelago, surpassing previous records for a second time. Most were citizens of Mali, Senegal and Morocco, with many boarding boats to Spain from the coast of Mauritania. The arrivals include thousands of unaccompanied children. Some 10,800 people had arrived via the Atlantic to the Canary Islands by mid-May, which was down by 34% compared to the same period in 2024.
