Overview
- The Guayas provincial criminal tribunal found 11 military personnel guilty of enforced disappearance followed by death and imposed 34 years and 8 months on each.
- Five soldiers who cooperated with prosecutors received reduced 30‑month terms, while one defendant was acquitted.
- Judges cited evidence that the minors were beaten, forced to strip and perform physical tasks, and abandoned in a dangerous area; their charred remains were later found near a military base with ballistic evidence on at least three victims.
- The court ordered reparations including $10,000 to each family, public apologies acknowledging state and military responsibility, a formal act of redress, publication of the sentence, and human-rights training for those convicted.
- Defense lawyers said they will appeal, as rights groups and UN monitors keep the case under scrutiny within the broader “internal armed conflict” context declared in 2024.