PBI-Canada watches the live-feed of the Criminal Sentencing Court verdict in the forcible disappearance of Luz Leticia in Guatemala

Video still: The sentencing court in session.

Yesterday the Peace Brigades International-Guatemala Project posted on social media: “The Eighth Criminal Sentencing Court has announced that it will deliver its verdict in the #LuzLeticiaYOtros case on Thursday, September 17. #PBI has been accompanying #LuzLeticia’s family for over 10 years.”

This morning, PBI-Guatemala also shared this video on social media of Marta Agustín Hernández, the sister of Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín, speaking to those assembled outside the court before the ruling.

She said: “With all my heart, we thank you for your presence. …We appeal to the 8th Court of Criminal Procedure, Narcotics and Environmental Crimes, which enacts a condemnatory sentence of 170 years in prison for Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano for the forced disappearance and crimes against the duties of humanity, as requested by the Ministry of Public Affairs and Relatives.”

University student-activist Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín was forcibly disappeared by state security forces on November 22, 1982, her 25th birthday. She became one of the more than 45,000 people forcibly disappeared between 1960 and 1996 in Guatemala. Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano, the director of a police division who worked closely with the Army in counterinsurgency operations, is accused in her disappearance. Forty-four years after Luz’s disappearance, we ask: where is she?

The live feed of the verdict can be watched here.

Updates…

At 11:40 am ET, Prensa Comunitaria reported: “The court will announce the verdict at 12:00 noon [2 pm ET] for military officer Francisco Fuentes Cano, who is accused of the forced disappearance of Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín.”

Around 12:28 pm ET, Marta Agustín Hernández replied to Prensa Comunitaria when asked “What does this trial mean for you as a family?”

She said: “I think it’s an opportunity to give way to such an indispensable value in terms of the human principle, especially of life, which in reality we lost… It’s an opportunity to give voice to all the atrocities committed in Guatemala that definitely shouldn’t have happened and that will never happen again.”

Valentina added: “[I remember Luz’s] great kindness, her great love for her family, and the desire for all of us to be well. The fundamental human value of her life.”

At 2:55 pm ET, CALDH posted: “Court reads the guilty verdict in the case regarding the enforced disappearance and crimes against humanity committed against Luz Leticia.”

At 3:23 pm ET, Festivales Media reported: “The sentencing hearing is currently underway… The Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested a 170-year prison sentence for crimes against the duties of humanity and enforced disappearance.”

At 4:33 pm ET, Prensa Comunitaria reported: “The Eighth Criminal Sentencing Court notes that Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín and Ana María López Rodríguez were detained alongside two other individuals on November 22, 1982, but their whereabouts remain unknown. Given that they were in the custody of security forces, ‘their failure to be produced is not a matter of oversight but a willful act.’ However, the Court determined that the crime against the duties of humanity was not proven; consequently, the accused is acquitted of this charge.”

At 4:37 pm ET, Festivales Media reported: “The court finds that Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano’s actions constitute the enforced disappearance of Luz Leticia Hernandez Agustín.”

At 5:12 pm ET, Verdad y Justicia en Guatemala reported: “The Eighth Criminal Sentencing Court unanimously ruled as follows: SENTENCED TO 50 YEARS IN PRISON. Juan Francisco Cifuentes Cano was found criminally liable as the perpetrator of the crime of enforced disappearance committed against Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín and Ana María López Rodríguez. The Court imposed a sentence of 50 years of non-commutable imprisonment, with credit given for time already served. Additionally, the Court acquitted Cifuentes Cano of the crime against the duties of humanity. The accused will remain in pretrial detention until the judgment becomes final and the court responsible for sentence execution issues the appropriate orders. Furthermore, the Court ordered the Public Prosecutor’s Office to continue the investigation and criminal prosecution regarding other individuals who may have participated in the events.”

At 5:15 pm ET, Prensa Comunitaria reported: “The Eighth Criminal Sentencing Court has scheduled the hearing on reparations for the forced disappearance of students Luz Leticia Hernández Agustín and Ana María López Rodríguez for September 22 at 9:00 a.m., following the conviction of military officer Francisco Fuentes Cano, who was sentenced to 50 years in prison.”

The live-feed this afternoon is here.