A Guatemalan court on 12 August sentenced six former officials to prison terms of six to 25 years for their roles in a 2017 fire that killed 41 girls and injured 15 others at the state-run Hogar Seguro Virgen de la Asunción youth shelter. The Seventh Criminal Court, presided over by Judge Ingrid Cifuentes, convicted two former police officers and four former child-protection officials of homicide, mistreatment of minors, abuse of authority and breach of duty. A seventh defendant, former government lawyer Harold Flores, was acquitted. Testimony showed that on 8 March 2017, 56 girls were locked in a classroom as punishment for protesting alleged abuse at the overcrowded facility near Guatemala City. After one girl set a mattress on fire to force their release, police waited roughly nine minutes to unlock the padlocked door, allowing the blaze to spread and ultimately claim 41 lives. The tragedy sparked international outrage and highlighted systemic failures in Guatemala’s child-welfare system. Judge Cifuentes also ordered the Public Ministry to investigate former president Jimmy Morales (2016-2020) and a former presidential adviser over allegations that they instructed police to keep the girls confined. Victims’ families and human-rights groups said the ruling sets an important precedent for holding senior officials accountable for state negligence.