Nazi Legacy-Chile: "Guru of Sadism, Safely in Jail

[Project_Willow]

Leaves Cult to Fend for Itself"

By LARRY ROHTER
Published: May 16, 2005

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/international/americas/16chile.html?pagewa=&oref=login
...
"He kept Colonia Dignidad closed to outsiders, except for his allies in the Chilean military, intelligence and police services. Even after General Pinochet's nearly 17-year dictatorship ended, Mr. Schäfer's powerful friends continued to protect the commune from official inquiries.

"But in 1998, after peasant families in the area complained, Mr. Schäfer was charged with sodomy and pedophilia against 26 boys. He dropped out of sight and turned over the day-to-day administration of the settlement to associates who used the threat of his return to keep order.
...
"Schäfer's powers were already weakened because he could no longer punish people himself or have drugs administered to them or control their lives," said Hernán Fernández, a Chilean lawyer who filed the sexual abuse charges that led Mr. Schäfer to flee. "But now that he is in prison, the psychological threat, the fear that he would come back to punish those rebelling against him, has evaporated."

edited to add author