Former nun sentenced to 20 years for sexual abuse of deaf-mute children in Argentina

A court in Mendoza province sentenced former nun Kumiko Kosaka to 20 years behind bars for aggravated sexual abuse of deaf-mute children at the Provolo Institute between 2005 and 2016. The ruling reverses her 2023 acquittal after the provincial Supreme Court annulled that decision in August. Earlier trials in 2019 had convicted two priests, a gardener and a former choirboy for related crimes, prompting broader investigations that also targeted religious staff and former employees.

Kosaka, now 51, left the order after the initial complaints in 2016 and the institute was subsequently closed. While she remains free while appeals are considered, the court has prohibited her from leaving Mendoza. Prosecutor Alejandro Iturbide, who requested a 22-year term, said the verdict aims to repair a grave harm, and victims' families expressed relief after a decade-long legal battle.