Guatemalan Police Rescue 160 Children, 40 Women From Lev Tahor After Child Abuse Allegations! Bodies Found!!!

 In a police operation which took place on Friday evening, Guatemalan authorities rescued 160 children and adolescents from the extremist sect of Lev Tahor in southeastern Guatemala, following allegations of child abuse including rape, according to local prosecutors. 40 women were also taken into protective custody with the children.

Over 480 police officers, soldiers and psychologists took part in the operation, during which computers, phones and other equipment were confiscated as potential evidence.

According to a source from the prosecution who spoke with local media, “Coordination was carried out with the Jewish community in Guatemala to ensure that the humanitarian needs of the affected children would be met, while ensuring their security and protection throughout the entire process.”

The raid was initiated after four children and teenagers, who are not Guatemalan residents, escaped the site last month and gave testimonies about abuse and human trafficking taking part in the sect. Authorities added that buried bodies were also found at the compound, some of which may belong to minors.

The rescue operation in the agricultural municipality of Oratorio, 78 kilometers (48.47 miles) southeast of Guatemala City, highlights ongoing concerns over the controversial practices of the Lev Tahor sect, which has faced similar allegations in the past.

“Based on the statements of the complainants, the evidence obtained, and the medical examinations, it was possible to establish that there are forms of human trafficking against these minors, such as forced marriage, abuse, and related crimes,” Nancy Paiz, a prosecutor at Guatemala’s Prosecutor’s Office Against Human Trafficking, said at a press conference.

The Lev Tahor community, founded in 1988 in Israel, practices an austere form of Judaism with interpretations of Jewish law that include long prayer sessions and arranged marriages for minors. The community has faced multiple allegations of kidnapping, child marriage and physical abuse since it was founded in the 1980s. Currently three of the leaders of the sect are serving lengthy prison sentences in the US for kidnapping and child exploitation.

The Jewish community of Guatemala said in a statement that the sect was foreign to its own organization and expressed support for Guatemalan authorities in carrying out necessary investigations “to protect the lives and integrity of minors and other vulnerable groups that may be at risk.”

It called on the “government and diplomatic corps of countries from whose nationalities make up members of Lev Tahor, to join forces to protect those whose rights may be violated.” The minors are now under the protection of the government and investigations remain underway.