A Colombian judge has sentenced 11 commanders of the country’s largest remaining rebel group to long prison terms for recruiting 60 children into their ranks.

The sentences, handed down in absentia on Monday, September 28, ranged from 11 to 20 years. The commanders of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, were found guilty of recruiting boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 17 from 2004 to 2018 across five departments. Prosecutors said some of the girls were sexually abused.

Among those convicted were top ELN leaders including Nicolas Rodriguez Bautista, known as Gabino, Eliecer Chamorro, known as Antonio Garcia, and Israel Ramirez Pineda, known as Pablo Beltran. Beltran now lives in Cuba and recently led a rebel delegation in peace talks with the Colombian government.

The trial was held in absentia because the commanders have not been captured. The government cancelled peace talks with the ELN last year after the group staged attacks in the Catatumbo region in which at least 80 people were killed.

Human rights groups say child recruitment by armed groups in Colombia continues, with social media now used to lure young people.