Ten retired Peruvian soldiers were convicted in June of raping nine women while serving at the Manta and Vilca military base in the Andes mountains during the country’s armed conflict in the 1980s. The men each received sentences of between six and 12 years for crimes against “good manners” and “sexual liberty” under the Peruvian criminal code, and for crimes against humanity under international criminal law.

This is a historic conviction both for Peru and the world. It shows that it is possible to convict perpetrators of systemic sexual violence in conflict zones. And it also demonstrates that domestic courts do have the tools and wisdom to enforce accountability, even in the current context of high corruption and political interference with the judiciary.

The rapes were committed at the height of the government’s fight against a Maoist rebel group called the Shining Path. The rebels were active mainly in poor and rural regions of Peru, and indigenous villagers were often caught up in the violence.

The Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up in 2001 under a transitional government to investigate the human rights abuses committed during the conflict. In its final report in 2003, the TRC concluded that sexual violence was widespread and particularly systemic on the part of the Peruvian military. However, no former soldiers have been prosecuted for sexual violence until now.

Testimonies to the TRC and subsequent........

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