During the program Direct Impactof Guatevisionauthorities, former members and panelists addressed what happened to Lev Tahor In Guatemala, the process of reunification of the 203 minors rescued and the testimonies about alleged rights violationspunishments, threats and a control environment within the group.
The Attorney General’s Office (PGN) reported, through Lucrecia Prera, Attorney for Children and Adolescentsthat the process of reunification of the 203 minors rescued from Lev Tahor began the December 20, 2024 and concluded in March 2026when they were moved to safe environments with extended family.
Prera explained that, among the complaints received, they repeatedly identified the “forced marriage” and the “pregnancy or possible forced pregnancy”which, he said, showed a “clear violation of the right to integrity”.
The official pointed out that the authorities acted without waiting for a tragedy to occur and added that, according to forensic evaluations, there were cases that caused concern.
According to him, a forensic medical evaluation determined indications that a girl “may have been a victim of sexual abuse”an issue that, he indicated, corresponds to the investigation Public Ministry.
Regarding the current situation of the group, the PGN stated that It has not been established that Lev Tahor currently operates in Guatemala. However, Prera indicated that there are still children in the country, because some parents stated that they did not want to leave Guatemala and that judicial recommendations were made for them to attend parenting schools. He also explained that many of the reunified minors now live in Canada, United States and Israel.
“The only option they had was to obey.”
The program also featured the testimony of Yisrol Horevitzformer member of Lev Tahorwho reported that he was forced to marry when he was 13 years and that his wife had 12. In his story, he stated: “You have no right to ask who you are going to marry”a phrase with which he described the imposition that, he said, he suffered within the group.
Horevitz said that the punishments and pressure were constant. “I don’t remember almost a day that was normally”he said, describing days marked by sanctions and control.
He also assured that within the group “Every time it was complicated” and that its members were obliged to obey strict rules.
Added to that testimony was Nissen Malkaalso a former member, who stated that when someone broke the rules dictated by the leaders of the group they were punished. They both agreed that, when the PGN rescued the minors, the members were told that the authorities were bad people and that the intervention sought to harm them.
The report indicated that both former members now live in USA and they are outside the group.
Experts warn of emotional consequences and need for support
The panelists focused on discussion on the consequences they could face the rescued minors. One of the analysts pointed out that the main concern is that children and adolescents can return to environments that allow them to live in freedom and not return to contexts of subjection.
During the analysis it was stated that leaving a sect implies facing a complex process, because internal control can operate as a “brainwashing”. Along these lines, it was warned that the rescued minors and young people will need psychological supportcounseling and constant support to face the effects of indoctrination and the traumas experienced from an early age.
Another of the experts indicated that the work of the PGN made it possible to find homes for the minors and that this process can help reduce the emotional damage suffered. He also maintained that, to recover their life projects, children and adolescents will require psychological, family and social therapy.
In the final part of the analysis, the panelists stressed that the case should not be interpreted as a discussion about customs or cultural tolerance, but rather from the Guatemalan legal framework.
One of them summed up this point by stating that, although there are standardized practices within the group, “If they are used to getting married at 13, not here, it is a crime here”.
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