Americas

Americas

Former Guatemalan soldier sentenced to 6060 years in prison for killing 201 peaceful people

13 March 2012 12:05 (UTC +04:00)

The court investigators identified that a special unit of the Guatemalan army known as the Kaibiles stormed the village of Las-Dos-Erres, where they suspected residents were supporting or sheltering left-wing guerrillas. Over three days, the soldiers systematically killed hundreds of men, women and children, shooting or bludgeoning them to death and throwing bodies down a well. Pimentel was sentenced to 30 years for each death and another 30 years for crimes against humanity. He denied any involvement in the massacre saying that he was in Panama when this event took place, but he couldnâ€™t submit evidences. Pimentel is the fifth former soldier to be convicted for the killings in the village of Dos Erres in 1982. 250 000 people, mostly peaceful residents were killed during the civil war in Guatemala in 1960-1996.