Chile, Germany establish Colonia Dignidad commission
Source: Deutsche Welle
Germany and Chile have signed an agreement on the notorious cult of Colonia Dignidad founded by a pedophile former Nazi. The cult operated with impunity for decades, committing dreadful crimes.
Germany and Chile agreed to establish a joint commission to document the crimes of a secretive cult founded by a pedophile ex-Nazi in 1961, Chile's foreign ministry said Thursday.
The agreement will create a documentation center for the community, and a memorial for victims that were tortured and killed within the confines of Colonia Dignidad. The cult was started by Paul Schäfer, a German lay preacher, former army medic and convicted pedophile who fled West Germany to Chile after World War II
Over 30 years countless boys were raped and forced to labor at the remote commune hidden behind security fences. Schäfer brutally suppressed and controlled his followers, including brainwashing, draconian punishments and enforcing a vow of secrecy. Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet used the German commune as a torture camp, and hid weapons and poison gas on the premises.
Read more: http://www.dw.com/en/chile-germany-establish-colonia-dignidad-commission/a-39682775
sandensea
(21,664 posts)It was controversial enough to make its being filmed in Chile problematic (it was instead filmed in neighboring Argentina). Riveting stuff.
Judi Lynn
(160,621 posts)JULY 13, 2017 / 2:20 PM / 7 HOURS AGO
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Germany and Chile have agreed to create a commission to document crimes committed at a secretive sect founded by an ex-Nazi in the foothills of the Andes, the Chilean foreign relations ministry said on Thursday.
The agreement, signed late Wednesday, will create a documentation centre for the community, as well as a memorial for victims that were tortured and killed within its confines.
Colonia Dignidad was founded in 1961 by former World War II German army medic Paul Schaefer. The community, which embraced ultra-traditional values, operated as an isolated cult under Schaefer, who sexually abused and tortured dozens of youths. During the 1973 to 1990 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, the community also served as a detention and torture site for enemies of the regime.
As Latin America has transitioned to democracy in recent decades, truth commissions and public displays documenting past abuses have become common in many countries, including Chile.
More:
http://in.reuters.com/article/chile-crime-idINKBN19Y2L9?rpc=401&
blue-wave
(4,363 posts)is where a lot of Nazi's fled at the end of WWII. They had an extensive network throughout the continent. A little research and you can discover a whole new world of chilling facts concerning Colonia Dignidad and Nazi's in South America. It is a horror story and eye opening when you consider the governments they influenced.