The stream follows him making the most of documentary series, a genre closely related to true stories of serial killers and criminal cases, which scandalized the world when they came to light; or, failing that, that they have gone more unnoticed outside the country in which they occurred.
It is placed in this second group Behind the Veil: Surviving in the Light of the World ChurchHBO’s original three-part docuseries -now available on HBO Max- which explores the terrifying and relatively unknown history of that Mexican Christian church and sexual abuse which dozens of members, many of them minors, say they suffered at the hands of their successive leaders, known as the “Apostles”.
Told from the point of view of the survivors who have come together on Reddit to share their stories of abuse, the production explores the story of one of the most powerful religious groups not only in Mexico, where it was founded, but also in the United States, giving voice to men and women who have dared to speak out against heinous crimes.
LDM extensionwhich prides itself on being the only true church offering eternal salvation – it claims to have congregations in more than 57 countries and more than five million followers -, It was founded in 1926 by Aarón Joaquín González. He was succeeded by his son and then by his grandson, hence the name of the three apostles, who they claim they were appointed by “divine revelation”.
Now dozens of former members have come forward to describe how the Apostles built and maintained a system of recruitment and training of children for abuse.
The docuseries ends with the events that led to the arrest in 2019 of the current Apostle, Naasón Joaquín García, and his current trial, shedding light on a story practically ignored by the mainstream media and illustrating the positive power of social networks. to unite and give free will to the survivors.
How the docuseries begins
behind the veil… uses a combination of emotional interviews with survivors and other former LLDM members – many speaking for the first time – with never-before-seen footage, as an intimate, current truth is revealed through heartbreaking statements from victims in the sentencing courtroom.
The production was directed by American Jennifer Tiexiera, co-director and co-writer of the award-winning documentary PS Please burn this letter, about the life of drag queens in New York in the 1950s.
The docuseries begins with the chapter “Darkness in the Light of the World”, and travels to 2017 to tell as former members of LLDM has formed an online community on Reddit to share stories of abuse at the hands of the church’s revered “Apostles.”
The faithful tell how they have been psychologically imprisoned since childhood within a cult-like society, through indoctrination, family pressure, and strict religious dogma, and are taught to give up their free will (mind, body, and soul) in exchange for eternal salvation.
The episode also reveals how the community of survivors begins to expand as the church grows in prominence and spreads globally.
The journalistic investigation and the sentence
Under the title “Unconditional”the second episode focuses on the investigation conducted by award-winning ABC News journalists Rhonda Schwartz and Brian Ross, who despite the power and influence of the church, managed to expose the scandal and unmask a past of abuse that the LLDM has been dragging on for decades.
Because of these reports, the Police began to take note of them. Risking their own safety, former LLDM members show up to speak as the church plans to build a fundamentalist community in Georgia, USA.
The third and final chapter -can be seen at midnight this Wednesday on HBO-, titled “Fight for Justice”returns to the survivors of the LLDM and how they have experienced the judicial process against its owner, Naasón Joaquín García, since he was arrested in 2019 along with two of his alleged servants.
The “Apostle”, the one who was to lead his faithful to salvation, is accused of crimes related to five unidentified women. But in a painful twist for the victims, prosecutors unexpectedly offer Garcia a plea deal that exonerates him from trial and deprives those involved from being in court that day.
Although Joaquín García is sentenced to just 16 years and eight months in prison – he is serving it in the United States – the survivors are determined to continue fighting for justice as they deal with their trauma.
The latest news and a fugitive accomplice
The case continues to throw news. This Monday Alondra Ocampo was releasedassistant and one of three accomplices of Church leader La Luz del Mundo, after serving three and a half years of his sentence for recruiting minors to have sex with Naasón.
Susana Medina Oaxaca was arrested alongside Garcia at the Los Angeles airport in 2019. And after pleading guilty to a sexual abuse charge, she is serving a year of probation and six months of psychiatric counseling.
The third accused by the prosecution along with Naasón is Azalea Rangel Meléndez, who to this day remains a fugitive.
on its weight two counts of rape and forcible oral penetration of a grown woman of the congregation.
Source: Clarin
