Guatemalan Police Prevent Jewish Sect from Reclaiming 160 Children

Guatemalan authorities have thwarted attempts by members of a Jewish sect to recover 160 children who were removed from its premises. The children were placed into protective custody on Friday following a police raid on a farm operated by the Lev Tahor movement, an organization facing investigations in multiple nations for alleged serious sexual offenses. According to Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez, the children were reportedly being abused by an individual within the sect. However, on Sunday, members of the sect forcibly entered a care facility where the children were housed, attempting to retrieve them, which resulted in confrontations with law enforcement. The Lev Tahor sect is recognized for its extremist practices and for enforcing a stringent lifestyle upon its adherents. The group promotes child marriage, administers severe penalties even for minor rule violations, and mandates that females, including girls as young as three, wear full-body robes. The sect has accused the Guatemalan authorities of engaging in religious persecution. The community established itself in Mexico and Guatemala during the period of 2014 to 2017. In 2022, sect members were apprehended during a police operation in the Mexican state of Chiapas, located in the south, but were subsequently released due to insufficient evidence. The sequence of events commenced on Friday when police conducted a raid on the sect’s farm in Oratorio, situated south-east of Guatemala City, and removed the children for their protection. Prosecutors indicated that suspicions included “forced pregnancy, mistreatment of minors and rape”. However, two days afterward, approximately 100 relatives of the children, all affiliated with the sect, assembled outside the facility where the children were being kept, demanding their repatriation. Subsequently, some sect members forcibly opened the gate and attempted to seize the children and adolescents residing there, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Nevertheless, the authorities intercepted the children and placed them into a white minibus, as reported by local media outlets. The Attorney General’s Office further stated that, with assistance from the police, the center “managed to locate and protect everyone again”. Earlier, officials had attempted to assess the children’s welfare but were denied entry to the farm by members of the sect. Authorities estimate that this community comprises approximately 50 families living in Guatemala, the US, Canada, and other nations. The Jewish Community of Guatemala has released a statement distancing itself from the sect, characterizing it as unrelated to its own organization. It conveyed support for the Guatemalan authorities in conducting essential investigations “to protect the lives and integrity of minors and other vulnerable groups that may be at risk”.