Updates
Legislative & Legal
Times of Suriname: Ecuador rescues six foreign minors from Jewish sect
"...The Lev Tahor sect, which practices a form of Judaism in which women wear black tunics covering them from head to toe, has been the subject of investigations for the mistreatment of minors in several countries, including Mexico, Canada, Colombia and Guatemala. In December, Colombia expelled nine members of the sect accused of child sexual abuse after rescuing 17 minors. The operation in Ecuador took place in the central province of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas. "The minors were found in a building lacking adequate humane conditions", the ministry said in a statement, along with a video showing the minors covered with long black veils. The government did not give the nationalities of the victims but they were flown to the United States. The interior ministry said the sect was suspected of human trafficking and forced exploitation. In December 2024, 160 children held captive by Lev Tahor were rescued in Guatemala. Several of its members were arrested and charged with trafficking, forced pregnancy, and arranged marriages involving minors."The Toledo Blade article covers the sentencing of 29-year-old Martina Esqueda, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison by Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Lori Olender for her role leading what the judge described as a "small cult" that kidnapped and brutally tortured a man.
Key details from the case include:• The Conviction: Esqueda pleaded guilty to kidnapping and two counts of felonious assault. She was the final defendant of six to enter a guilty plea for the abuse, which initially began at a home and culminated in a severe week-long ordeal at a Red Roof Inn in Maumee, Ohio.• The "Cult" Dynamic: Judge Olender characterized the group as a small, insular cult. Esqueda lived in a home with five men (including her husband and others with whom she maintained romantic relationships), all of whom she manipulated into participating in the abuse.• The Abuse and Injuries: The victim, identified in court as A.M., was held against his will, starved, deprived of sleep, and severely beaten with fists and a baseball bat. He suffered numerous injuries, including a broken sternum, a fractured fibula, and broken ribs. He was finally able to escape and seek help when he was allowed to go to a local convenience store.• The Sentence: Expressing that the details of the case "sickened" the court, the judge sentenced Esqueda to at least 22 years behind bars. The other five co-defendants involved in the torture had previously entered guilty pleas or been sentenced for their respective roles.
Research & Academic
Professor Rod Dubrow-Marshall (University of Salford) discusses 'coercive control in modern religions – deeds and creeds.' Recordings taken from the INFORM & Centre for Religion and Public Life (University of Leeds) Seminar, Thursday 21st May 2026.
Core PremiseExpanding Contexts: Coercive control is traditionally defined and criminalized (such as in UK domestic abuse law) within the context of intimate or familial relationships. However, Professor Dubrow-Marshall argues that coercive control is a unifying concept that equally applies to group settings, specifically modern and new religious organizations.
Interrelationship of Deeds and Creeds: The presence of coercive control in religious groups is a dangerous intersection of totalizing belief systems (creeds) and manipulative actions (deeds).
Defining Coercive Control & Theoretical Overlaps: The Legal Foundation: Under the UK's Serious Crime Act 2015, controlling and coercive behavior is recognized as a psychological pattern of abuse that systematically deprives individuals of independent agency and isolates them.
Academic Frameworks: The video connects the modern legal definitions of coercive control with classic psychological frameworks:Robert Jay Lifton’s Thought Reform: Specifically "milieu control," where a group heavily controls an individual's day-to-day actions, demands strict ideological adherence, and breaks down individual identity.
Bidderman’s Framework of Coercion: Methods like total isolation, monopolizing perception, degradation, and enforcing exhausting demands to force submission.Science: This is a great place to explore the psychology of coercion or the neurological aspects of influence.
Events
Lalich Center for Cults and Coercion: Workshop: Rebuild Your Relationship with Music
For many survivors of coercive or high-control groups, music is not always a neutral experience. Songs, sounds, and musical environments can carry emotional associations connected to past experiences.Their upcoming workshop, Rebuilding Your Relationship with Music, creates space to gently explore those connections while developing new, more empowering ways of engaging with music.Facilitated by board-certified music therapist Dorian Wallace, this 6-week online experience combines reflection, support, and practical tools in a trauma-informed environment.
- No musical background needed
- Scholarships available
- Supportive small-group format
June 15 – July 208:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT$50 USD
News, Education, Intervention, Recovery
Intervention101.com to help families and friends understand and effectively respond to the complexity of a loved one's cult involvement.
CultRecovery101.com assists group members and their families make the sometimes difficult transition from coercion to renewed individual choice.
CultNEWS101.com news, links, resources about: cults, cultic groups, abusive relationships, movements, religions, political organizations, and related topics.
The selection of articles for CultNEWS101 does not imply that Patrick Ryan, Joseph Kelly or Ashlen Hilliard endorse the content. We provide information from multiple perspectives to foster dialogue.
Please forward articles that you think we should add to cultintervention@gmail.com.
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