Latest news with #youthshelter
Al Jazeera
12-08-2025
- Al Jazeera
Guatemala judge convicts 6 ex-officials in deaths of 41 girls in 2017 fire
A Guatemalan court has convicted six people in connection with the deaths of 41 girls at a state-funded youth shelter in 2017. On Tuesday, Judge Ingrid Cifuentes gave the former officials, who had all pleaded not guilty, sentences of between six and 25 years for charges ranging from abuse of authority to manslaughter. Two of the people convicted were ex-police officers, while the other four were ex-child protection officials. Prosecutors had sought sentences of up to 131 years for some of those on trial. The judge said she did not have the jurisdiction to make a ruling against a seventh defendant, who used to be the children's prosecutor at the attorney general's office. As well as handing down the prison terms, Cifuentes also ordered an investigation into former President Jimmy Morales, who was Guatemala's leader at the time of the blaze. Emily del Cid Linares, 25, a survivor of the fire who suffered burns, said she was satisfied with the verdict. 'I feel like a weight has been lifted from me,' she said. 'What I most feel is that they [the victims] will be able to rest in peace. [Those responsible] are going to pay for what they did.' The tragedy at the Virgen de la Asuncion youth shelter, which is located 22km (14 miles) east of the capital, Guatemala City, shook the country and went on to highlight the widespread abuse in the government's shelter system. The fire broke out on March 8, 2017, a year after the home, which housed hundreds more children than its legal capacity, was ordered to close by a court. The blaze started in a classroom in which 56 girls had been locked after their attempt to escape the shelter the previous day. After being brought back to the site by the police, they were shut in a room with no access to a toilet. Witnesses said that one of the girls set fire to their foam mattresses to protest against their treatment at the home, which is alleged to have included sexual abuse. Nineteen girls died on March 8 from their injuries, with a further 22 later succumbing to their injuries. The fire also severely injured 15 others.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- CTV News
Longueuil police looking for missing teen possibly in Montreal
Kellyane Beaupré has been missing since June 15. (SPAL) Longueuil police are looking for a missing 15-year-old girl who could be in Montreal. Kellyane Beaupré was last seen June 15 in Boucherville. She has short brown hair, dark eyes, missing front teeth and nose and ear piercings. She was wearing a graphic white t-shirt, blue jeans and beige platform Crocs with green and pink details. She could be in downtown Montreal near the En Marge 12-17 youth shelter on Alexandre-DeSève Street or the Longueuil metro station, according to police. Police say they worry for her safety and urge anyone who sees her to call 911 or contact their local police station.
