Detention of leaders of the “Lion Tahor” sect suspected of human trafficking, forced marriage and violence.Photo: STMEGI.
Large-scale operation and investigation
Guatemalan law enforcement officers conducted an operation in the camp of the radical ultra-Orthodox community Lev Tahor (Pure Heart), freeing 160 children and teenagers. According to the Time Ukraine Israel portal, citing Vesty, the prosecutor’s office claims that the released children were victims of human trafficking, forced marriage and other serious crimes.
The raid was based on the testimony of four children who escaped from the camp in November. They are not Guatemalan citizens, but were able to contact the local police and told them about the abuse and violence they had experienced in the community.
Graves were discovered on the territory of the camp where, according to investigators, victims of the community, including minors, may be buried.
The shocking scale of crime
More than 480 law enforcement officers, military personnel and psychologists took part in the operation. According to Prosecutor Nancy Faiz, the evidence collected indicates numerous crimes:
- human trafficking;
- Forced marriages;
- physical and psychological violence;
- child abuse.
History of the Lion Tahrir sect
The Lev Tahor sect was founded in Israel in 1988. Its members adhere to extremely radical religious principles that are considered unacceptable even among Orthodox Jews. The community has been accused of numerous human rights violations, including kidnapping, forced marriages with minors, and physical abuse.
In 2021, two leaders of the sect, Nachman Helbrans and Meir Rosner, were convicted in the United States for child abduction and sexual offences. They took a 14-year-old girl and her younger brother to Mexico to force her into a “marriage” with an adult man. The children’s mother, who had previously fled the sect because of the violence, became the main witness in the case.
Other cruel practices of the community include a ban on eating meat and fish, forcible removal of children from their parents, public punishment and forced “discipline”.
Previous operations and community response
Similar operations have been carried out before: in 2022, law enforcement officers in Mexico released the sect’s victims. However, Lion Tahrir continues to operate, moving from country to country.
The Jewish community of Guatemala categorically condemned the actions of the sect, stressing that it had nothing to do with it. Community members thanked the local authorities for their active actions against the criminal organisation.
The operation in Guatemala is another step in the fight against a radical organisation that has been harming its members, especially children, for decades. The efforts of local law enforcement and international attention can help stop the community’s crimes and save future generations from its influence.
