Guards allegedly took minors to jail to be raped in Guatemala
GUATEMALA CITY, Guetemala — Twenty Guatemalan prison guards are to stand trial accused of smuggling minors into jails to be sexually abused by imprisoned gang members, authorities said Friday.
A police officer and eight men linked to the Barrio 18 gang will also be tried in the same case, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, Maria Jose Mansilla, told reporters.
The victims, aged between 12 and 16 years old, were taken to prisons where they were "sexually abused and recruited in order to integrate them into the Barrio 18 gang," she added.
The gangs used social media and instant messaging applications to contact the girls, she said.
The prison guards will be tried for breach of duty, the police officer for rape and the other eight defendants for crimes including human trafficking and sexual exploitation, Mansilla said.
According to Guatemalan authorities, gang leaders also orchestrate extortion and murders from inside prison.
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