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MEXICO
CITY, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Guatemalan authorities rescued 160 children
and adolescents from the fundamentalist Jewish sect Lev Tahor in
southeastern Guatemala on Friday following allegations of child abuse,
including rape, prosecutors said.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
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.
KEY QUOTE
"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.
CONTEXT
The
Lev Tahor community, founded in 1988 in Israel, practice an austere
form of Judaism with interpretations of Jewish law that includes long
prayer sessions and arranged marriages.
Lev
Tahor ("Pure Heart" in Hebrew) has faced multiple allegations of
kidnapping, child marriage and physical abuse since it was founded in
the 1980s.
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