A minimum of 200 youngsters and ladies rescued from Lev Tahor Jewish sect in Guatemala

A minimum of 200 youngsters and ladies rescued from Lev Tahor Jewish sect in Guatemala

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Authorities in Guatemala rescued no less than 160 youngsters from a Jewish sect following allegations of abuse and human trafficking.

Police raided the premises of the sect known as Lev Tahor in Oratorio metropolis, 78km southeast of the capital Guatemala Metropolis, on Friday after receiving complaints of widespread abuse of youngsters, together with rape, human trafficking and compelled marriage, prosecutors stated.

They took no less than 160 minors and 40 ladies into protecting custody.

The operation within the Santa Rosa area concerned round 480 police personnel, troopers, prosecutors, and psychologists who additionally seized digital units and looked for proof of kid pornography.

Regional prosecutor Dimas Jiménez y Jiménez stated they had been contemplating prices of human trafficking, mistreatment of minors, and rape.

“We suspect these crimes had been dedicated by a member of the neighborhood,” he stated.

Police take part in a child rescue operation at a farm in the municipality of Oratorio, Guatemala

Police participate in a toddler rescue operation at a farm within the municipality of Oratorio, Guatemala (Guatemalan Lawyer Normal)

Nancy Lorena Paiz García, a prosecutor within the Workplace Towards Human Trafficking, stated that police discovered our bodies suspected to be of minors buried on the premises.

“We have now no info that the sect has used the native cemeteries,” she stated, “however we should examine these attainable deaths of minors.”

The operation was set in movement by the escape from the Jewish sect of 4 non-Guatemalan youngsters in November who alerted authorities to the abuses.

“Primarily based on the statements of the complainants, the proof obtained and the medical examinations, it was attainable to ascertain that there are types of human trafficking towards these minors, like pressured marriages, abuse, and associated crimes,” Ms Garcia stated.

Lev Tahor, “Pure Coronary heart” in Hebrew, was based in Israel in 1988 and practices a strict interpretation of Jewish legislation. It has drawn worldwide scrutiny over time for alleged sexual abuses, kidnapping, youngster marriage, and bodily violence.

A Lev Tahor member waits outside the Guatemala Attorney General’s Office after authorities rescued over 100 children and adolescents from the Jewish community following allegations of child abuse

A Lev Tahor member waits outdoors the Guatemala Lawyer Normal’s Workplace after authorities rescued over 100 youngsters and adolescents from the Jewish neighborhood following allegations of kid abuse (Reuters)

The sect shifted its base to Mexico and Guatemala between 2014 and 2017 after going through mounting authorized stress elsewhere.

In 2022, Mexican authorities rescued youngsters from a Lev Tahor camp close to the Guatemalan border and detained its members suspected of abusing minors.

The operation in Oratorio provides to the sect’s troubled historical past. Prosecutors allege that minors within the sect had been subjected to pressured marriages and systematic abuse, usually below the guise of non secular doctrine. The youngsters are below authorities safety whereas investigations proceed.

The Jewish Neighborhood of Guatemala distanced itself from Lev Tahor, saying the sect was overseas to its organisation. It expressed assist for authorities and known as on governments and diplomats to collaborate in defending weak people linked to Lev Tahor.

“The federal government and diplomatic corps of nations from whose nationalities make up members of Lev Tahor ought to be a part of forces to guard these whose rights could also be violated,” the organisation stated in an announcement.

Guatemalan authorities stated they’d proceed their investigation into the sect’s actions and potential human rights violations.


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The Unbiased


#youngsters #ladies #rescued #Lev #Tahor #Jewish #sect #Guatemala


Stuti Mishra , 2024-12-21 10:55:00