Authorities in Guatemala have pushed back against attempts made by members of a Jewish sect to reclaim 160 children who had been rescued from its premises. The children were removed from the care of the Lev Tahor movement last Friday during a police operation on a farm linked to the group. The Lev Tahor movement, which has been under investigation for serious sexual offenses in multiple countries, saw these children taken into protective custody.
Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez disclosed that the children were reportedly subjected to abuse by a member of the sect. Following the initial removal, on Sunday, members of the group forcibly entered a care center where the children were being housed in an effort to retrieve them, resulting in confrontations with law enforcement.
The Lev Tahor sect has gained notoriety for its extremist beliefs and enforcement of a rigorous lifestyle on its adherents. Among its practices are the promotion of child marriage, the implementation of severe penalties even for minor infractions, and the requirement for women and girls as young as three years old to be fully covered in robes.
The sect has accused Guatemalan authorities of religious persecution. Between 2014 and 2017, the community had settled in Mexico and Guatemala. In 2022, members of the group were detained in a police operation in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas but later released due to insufficient evidence.
The chain of events began with a police intervention at the Lev Tahor farm in Oratorio, located southeast of Guatemala City, where the children were taken into custody last Friday. Legal authorities raised concerns over potential cases of “forced pregnancy, abuse of minors, and sexual assault”.
Two days later, approximately 100 relatives of the children, all affiliated with the sect, congregated outside the care facility where the minors were being housed, demanding their return. Some members of the group forcibly broke into the premises and attempted to take the children and teenagers housed there, as reported by the Attorney General’s Office.
However, the authorities intervened, intercepting the children and placing them on a white minibus for safety, according to local media accounts. With the aid of law enforcement, the care center successfully relocated and safeguarded all individuals, stated the Attorney General’s Office.
Prior to the rescue operation, officials had made attempts to assess the well-being of the children but were obstructed from entering the farm by sect members. It is estimated that the Lev Tahor community consists of about 50 families residing across Guatemala, the United States, Canada, and other nations.
The Jewish Community of Guatemala released a statement disavowing the sect, emphasizing its divergence from the beliefs and practices of the broader Jewish community. The statement offered support to Guatemalan authorities in conducting investigations aimed at safeguarding the lives and welfare of minors and other vulnerable groups that may be at risk.
