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Authorities in Guatemala rescued at the very least 160 kids from a Jewish sect following allegations of abuse and human trafficking.
Police raided the premises of the sect referred to as Lev Tahor in Oratorio metropolis, 78km southeast of the capital Guatemala City, on Friday after receiving complaints of widespread abuse of youngsters, together with rape, human trafficking and compelled marriage, prosecutors stated.
They took at the very least 160 minors and 40 girls 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 have been contemplating expenses of human trafficking, mistreatment of minors, and rape.
“We suspect these crimes have been dedicated by a member of the neighborhood,” he stated.
Nancy Lorena Paiz García, a prosecutor within the Office Against Human Trafficking, stated that police discovered our bodies suspected to be of minors buried on the premises.
“We haven’t any data 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 kids in November who alerted authorities to the abuses.
“Based on the statements of the complainants, the proof obtained and the medical examinations, it was attainable to determine that there are types of human trafficking in opposition to these minors, like compelled marriages, abuse, and associated crimes,” Ms Garcia stated.
Lev Tahor, “Pure 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.
The sect shifted its base to Mexico and Guatemala between 2014 and 2017 after dealing with mounting authorized strain elsewhere.
In 2022, Mexican authorities rescued kids 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 have been subjected to compelled marriages and systematic abuse, usually below the guise of spiritual doctrine. The kids are below authorities safety whereas investigations proceed.
The Jewish Community of Guatemala distanced itself from Lev Tahor, saying the sect was overseas to its organisation. It expressed help for authorities and referred to as on governments and diplomats to collaborate in defending susceptible people linked to Lev Tahor.
“The authorities and diplomatic corps of nations from whose nationalities make up members of Lev Tahor ought to be part of forces to guard these whose rights could also be violated,” the organisation stated in a press release.
Guatemalan authorities stated they might proceed their investigation into the sect’s actions and potential human rights violations.
