A former police chief has been convicted of ordering soldiers to set fire to a Spanish embassy while protesters were inside, during the Guatemalan civil war in the 1980s.

Pedro Garcia Arredondo, who led a special commando unit, was sentenced to 90 years in prison, of which he will have to serve 30.

The ruling has been long awaited by the families and friends of the 37 victims – Indians, peasants and university students -who were holed up inside the embassy during the attack.

Al Jazeera’s David Mercer reports from Guatemala City.

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