Be part of the online journey February 22 – 26 when Nobel peace laureate Jody Williams travels to Guatemala City. She will be joining sister laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum to stand in solidarity with the brave Mayan women going up against the Guatemalan military in the landmark Sepur Zarco trial. The two women will also bear witness to a trial of global importance for those working to end sexual violence in conflict.
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On February 1 the landmark Sepur Zarco trial began in Guatemala for crimes committed against the Mayan Q’ecqchi’ people in the northern community of Sepur Zarco during the country’s decades-long civil war. Two military officers are being tried for charges of sexual and domestic slavery, and forced disappearance. The trial marks the first time in history that crimes of sexual slavery committed during armed conflict will be prosecuted in the same country where they occurred, and is the first trial for systematic violations of Indigenous women in Guatemala.
The Sepur Zarco crimes are part of a much larger pattern of systematic violation of the rights of the Mayan population by the State during the war. Not only in Gautemala, but around the world, the Sepur Zarco trial is a step toward ending the widespread impunity for sexual violence in conflict. Follow along as the Nobel laureates spotlight the brave Indigenous women standing up for justice.