The ruling was the first time a local court handed down a judgment for such crimes in this Central American country, which is seeking to address abuses committed during its brutal 1960-1996 civil war.

The retired officer, second Lt. Esteelmer Reyes Giron, was found guilty of crimes against humanity for holding 15 women in sexual and domestic slavery and killing one woman and her two daughters.

The packed courtroom erupted in cheers and chants of “justice, justice!” when the ruling was read.

“These historic convictions send the unequivocal message that sexual violence is a serious crime and that no matter how much time passes, it will be punished. It is a great victory for the eleven women who embarked on a 30-year-long battle for justice,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.

During the trial, the victims testified to the abuse they suffered during six months in 1982 and 1983 at the Sepur Zarco military base in northern Guatemala.

During the 20 hearings, 11 women from the indigenous Q’eqchis communities described how they physically and emotionally deteriorated while being raped and used as slaves for half a year.

More than 35 boxes of evidence were presented, including some with human remains and pieces of clothing. The remains were exhumed in 2012 by the Guatemalan Foundation for Forensic Anthropology.

“We the judges firmly believe the testimony of the women who were raped in Sepur Zarco,” said Yassmin Barrios, chief judge of the court. “Rape is an instrument or weapon of war, it is a way to attack the country, killing or raping the victims, the woman was seen as a military objective.”

Moises Galindo, the defence lawyer for Reyes Giron, said the trial was a fabrication and that his client was never at the site of the crimes.

Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchu, who was present at the reading of the judgment, said, “this is historic, it is a great step for women and above all for the victims.”