160 children were rescued from the Lev Tahor cult compound in Guatemala, after allegedly falling victim to severe abuse.
The cult had positioned its facility near the city of Oratorio, 78 km southeast of Guatemala City. The prosecution in Guatemala announced that the police launched the raid after receiving complaints about widespread abuse of children, including sexual abuse, human trafficking, and forced marriages. During the raid, 160 children and another 40 women were taken by the authorities, who believe they were victims of severe abuse by the cult leaders and their followers.
According to the prosecution, the police raid involved 480 police officers, soldiers, legal prosecution staff, and psychologists. During the raid, children's bodies were found buried in the ground, and the police are investigating if they died as a result of abuse by the cult members. The regional prosecutor, Dimas Jimenez, stated that the prosecution is considering filing charges for human trafficking, child abuse, and rape. "We suspect that these crimes were committed by a community member," said Jimenez.
Nancy Lorena Paiz Garcia, a prosecutor in Guatemala's office against human trafficking, said that police found bodies, suspected to be those of children and minors, buried in the area where the cult operates. "We have no information that the cult used local cemeteries, but we must investigate these potential child deaths," said the prosecutor.
The raid took place after four children managed to escape last month and informed the authorities about what was happening within the cult. "Based on the complainants' statements, the obtained evidence, and medical examinations, it could be determined that forms of human trafficking against these minors exist, such as forced marriages, abuse, and other related crimes," said prosecutor Garcia.