GUATEMALA CITY, Aug 13, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A Guatemalan court on Tuesday sentenced six former officials to jail for their role in a 2017 orphanage fire that killed 41 adolescent girls.

A judge found the accused guilty of crimes ranging from abuse of power to culpable homicide and sentenced them to between six and 25 years behind bars.

The girls are believed to have set fire to their mattresses to protest mistreatment by staff, including alleged sexual abuse.

The doors were locked by the staff, preventing their escape.

The tragedy shocked Guatemala, prompting protests, a lengthy investigation and allegations of state-sanctioned impunity.

The Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asuncion, or Safe Home of the Virgin of the Assumption, was a state-run facility.

Several officials were indicted in the case -- including a top social welfare official, security guards, and orphanage officials.

Prosecutors had sought prison sentences of more than 100 years for nearly all of the accused.

More than 100 people packed into the courtroom to witness the sentencing hearing, including activists, survivors of the tragedy, and family members of the victims.

Before the hearing began, some of the survivors gathered for a silent prayer and, as the judge recounted the facts of the case, several spectators began tearing up.

When the hearing concluded, many shouted: "Justice for the girls of Hogar Seguro!"

Among those convicted was Carlos Rodas, the former head of Guatemala's Social Welfare Secretariat, who will serve 25 years in prison.

Santos Torres, the former director of the orphanage, received a similar sentence, and Brenda Chaman, the institution's head of protection, was sentenced to 17 years.

Former police officer Lucinda Marroquin received a sentence of 13 years. Another police officer, Luis Perez, was jailed for 11 years, and former human rights official Gloria Castro was sentenced to six years.

Harold Flores, a former official for the country's Attorney's General Office, was the only one acquitted.

"We are a little upset because it was not the justice we expected," Carmen Urias, the mother of victim Mayra Chutan who died at age 15, told AFP.

Urias said she had hoped for longer sentences "so that the girls can rest in peace."

Fifteen minors survived the fire with serious injuries. Two are still being treated for burns in the United States, according to Paula Barrios, a plaintiff in the trial that began in January 2024.