"The Guayaquil Criminal Court on Monday sentenced 16 soldiers over the enforced disappearance and deaths of four minors, which occurred more than a year ago in the coastal city. Eleven soldiers, identified as direct perpetrators in the so-called 'Las Malvinas Case' or 'Case of the Four from Guayaquil,' were sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison, marking one of Ecuador's harshest convictions for enforced disappearance. Five other soldiers, who cooperated with prosecutors, received reduced sentences of 30 months. The final hearing brought to a close more than a year of demands for justice from the victims' families, human rights groups, and independent observers. "This is a milestone for justice within Ecuador, especially, as I stated this morning, regarding respect for human rights and, above all, the focus on children and adolescents within the framework of declarations of states of exception," Abraham Aguirre, lawyer for the families, told the press. "Throughout the entire case and the hearings, there were numerous attempts to lie and cover up for the soldiers. But thanks to God, and to the lawyers, judges, and prosecutors who did their jobs diligently, the first step towards justice has been taken," said Antonio Arroyo, uncle of one of the murdered kids. The ruling concludes a case that has drawn national and international attention since four children - Josue, Nehemias, Ismael, and Steven - disappeared after being stopped by two military patrols and were later found weeks later burned and shot in a mangrove near an Air Force base. The court also ordered symbolic reparations, including a commemorative plaque at the Taura military base bearing the names of the four adolescents from Las Malvinas, and a public apology from the state."