In April 2015 Spanish TV channel La Sexta aired the first part of two with the title: Las Doce Tribus, una secta en el punto de mira por maltrato infantil que se extentiende por toda Europa.

We also had here on Question12Tribes, an extract of the second part with English subtitles which is the interview of Spanish ex-member

source of complete documentary:http://worldtube.oo.gd/las-doce-tribus-una-secta-en-el-punto-de-mira-por-maltrato-infantil/

The raid on September 5th, 2013 in the Twelve Tribes community in Klosterzimmern/Deiningen and Wörnitz/Ansbach.

*How did the Twelve Tribes communities come to have a police raid?*

Background: The RTL reporter, Wolfram Kuhnigk had gone undercover in the community of the Twelve Tribes in Klosterzimmern. There, he managed to bring secretly filmed footage with cameras he had hidden and managed to smuggle out a radical education manual he had discovered there to the authorities.
Originally, the report was scheduled for a later date to be released under the new RTL series “Undercover Deutschland”. However, the recordings he had brought forward were so explosive that the authorities were informed of their content.

Here is where you can see a clip of the origional episode, in which, ex-members also have their say as to how they fought somewhat unsuccessfully for changes within this group.
http://rtlnext.rtl.de/cms/razzia-bei-sekte-12-staemme-rtl-reporter-liefert-beweise-fuer-kindesmisshandlung-1620767.html

In 2012, several ex-Tribes members had made public reports on internal practices in the sect.
http://www.focus.de/…/report-alle-haben-weggeschaut_aid…

A short time later, a family man who also left the community appeared on RTL.
http://www.rtl.de/…/12-staemme-von-uns-etwa…

There was a police operation with a group of a hundred police in the early hours of the morning. Due to the recordings made available by RTL, the children were taken into provisional custody on September 5th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiTUqbk6aZk

Soon to follow were reports, opinions and explanations from Twelve Tribes members.
http://www.n24.de/…/sind-misshandlungsvorwuerfe…
http://www.n24.de/…/Details/t1974996/sorgerecht.html

With the raid in Germany, this became the second major raid which the Twelve Tribes members and its founder, Elbert Eugene Spriggs (of Tennessee, USA), has faced.

The first largest raid against the Twelve Tribes took place in 1984 in Island Pond (Vermont, USA), when the authorities removed 112 children from their parents and briefly removed them into state care. The children were returned shortly after, citing the constitutional rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
Here are some of the discussions of this fateful event:
http://www.nytimes.com/…/children-of-sect-seized-in

After the first RTL broadcast on Twelve Tribes practices, especially in the area of their educational practices; the Twelve Tribes community initially tried to take legal action against RTL.
http://www.anwalt24.de/…/BVerfG_09_09_2013_1_BvR_2519…

An equally unsuccessful legal action was placed by an unnamed person against reporter Wolfram Kuhnigk. The investigations against him were discontinued. Shortly after the issue of the Twelve Tribes became known, individuals who are against the treatment of the children in the sect founded a Facebook group to advocate for the children.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/516262435110521/

In September, a vigil was organized and many people walked the street to advocate for the children.
http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/…/Mahnwache-fuer…

It was at this vigil that an entrepreneur from Switzerland made his appearance and allied himself with the Twelve Tribes community in Germany.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snTVxd2IfMg
He reports regularly on his blog for the Twelve Tribes, frequently using disparaging comparisons of modern Germany with Nazi Germany. As this is reflective of the beliefs of the religious community, it doesn’t get further attention from the authorities at this time.

Meanwhile, there was an increase of public and international reporting. Here are a just a few examples:
http://www.az-online.de/…/sekte-zwoelf-staemme-dolchau…
http://www.independent.co.uk/…/in-germanys-twelve…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/germany-twelve-tribes…
http://www.lidovky.cz/sekta-dvanact…/zpravy-domov.aspx…

The courts have confirmed that the children must remain with foster parents or in youth welfare institutions for the time being.
http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/…/Gericht-Kinder…

Later, supporters of the Twelve Tribes brought forward a petition which demanded the children be returned to their home on the commune.
https://www.openpetition.de/…/die-kinder-der-zwoelf…

The battle for the children continues, closure of the commune school, a former sect member speaks out, Politics

The loss of parental custody for the majority of the children is provisionally maintained at this time. The parents in the sect have encouraged a letter writing campaign to the authorities and judges. On their blog, they began to regularly share letters (including those by the children involved in the case) which annoys the authorities.

In November, it was reported that two girls are missing. They were returned to Germany by the Swiss Police. The older girl returned to the commune as she is nearly the age of majority.
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/…/gemeinschaft-zwoelf…

The Alliance 90/Greens Party became active again.
The government was requested to report to the Bavarian Parliament about the background and order of events.
http://www.gruene-fraktion-bayern.de/…/aufklaerung…

Meanwhile, the socalled “supplementary school” was closed.
http://www.kostenlose-urteile.de/VG-Augsburg_Au-3-S-142…

In December 2013, the custody of two babies was returned to their parents.
https://www.juris.de/jportal/portal/page/homerl.psml…

More children began to be returned to their parents.
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/…/glaubensgemeinschaft…

The parents of the Twelve Tribes invited Germans to a round table discussion and triggered resentment as a mother began showing off the “rods” that the sect uses to “discipline” their children, as they feel fit.
http://www.br.de/…/zwoelf-staemme-gespraechsabend…

More children were removed from a Mother-Child home.
http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/…/Zwoelf-Staemme…
The mothers and fathers and the recordings or letters from the children were reported in several video recordings that the Twelve Tribes later published.

The following are massive complaints against the authorities on the part of the sect.
http://www.n24.de/…/der-fall-der–zwoelf-staemme-.html

At around the 4 minute mark, on the subject of the Twelve Tribes, it is reported that 15 children were allowed to return to the sect.
http://www.ardmediathek.de/…/B5-aktuell/Audio-Podcast…

“Amitsa” goes public with her life story.
http://www.spiegel.de/…/zwoelf-staemme-wie-eine…

The Bayrisches Rundfunk (BR) informs us that another girl has vanished and they secured an interview that the police were unable to do. A reporter speaks with the girl who is still unable to be located.
http://www.br.de/…/zwoelf-staemme-maedchen-bayerischer…

The parents who made a public appearance on Augsburg TV reject the decisions of the court.
http://www.augsburg.tv/…/weiteres-kind-fluechtet-11_02…

Support for the Twelve Tribes, Termination of Investigations, Tragic ex-member reports, Refusal of Compulsory Education, Proceedings before the Federal Constitutional Court

The investigation of the parents of the “Twelve Tribes” faith community in Wörnitz were discontinued due to lack of evidence of specific crimes. The proceedings before Family Court continued independently from there.
http://www.sat1bayern.de/…/ermittlungen-gegen-zwoelf…/

The tragic story of a family who left the sect was published in Australia (Winter of 2013) reached Germany.
http://www.smh.com.au/…/secrets-of-the-family-20131209…

The Twelve Tribes community in Germany received support from two authors in the United States. The articles they wrote were openly published on CESNUR, where you can also find older posts by Jean Swantko Wiseman.
http://www.cesnur.org/2014/12tribes.htm

An amicable solution was reached between a set of parents and the youth welfare office were made for a 12 year old girl in Klosterzimmern. (This should not have happened IMHO and action to bring further clarity on the situation was later denied)
http://www.donau-ries-aktuell.com/zwoelf-staemme-12…/

The State Prosecutor presented the investigations of Wolfram Kuhnigk, which has now been shown by the Twelve Tribes lawyer again.
http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/…/Zwoelf-Staemme…

BR reported on the drastic experiences of the children of the Twelve Tribes.
http://www.br.de/…/140227-quer-zwoelf-staemme-100.html

The Twelve Tribes community filed a complaint against the authorities. The allegations are false imprisonment, coercion, tresspassing…
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/…/glaubensgemeinschaft…

The “Sect Info” North Rhein Westfalen published their assessment and a review of a concerned ex-member of the Twelve Tribes which gives us no doubts that reports about the sect are true.
http://www.sekten-info-nrw.de/index.php…

Christian Reip told his story of a difficult childhood to BR Radio.
http://www.br.de/…/programmkalender/sendung791988.html

As all complaints are rejected, the Twelve TRibes announce via their lawyer that they wish to have a hearing in the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.
http://www.donau-ries-aktuell.com/zwoelf-staemme-wollen…/

Via members of the Twelve Tribes, we hear of motivated support in favor of the Twelve Tribes from the Czech Republic, a meeting with members of the Roma community and a demonstration in Prague.
http://euportal.parlamentnilisty.cz/…/12008-jen-v…

The older children (13 and older) who are temporarily or permanently returned home to the commune are informed they must go to school. It does not take long until parents again protest against the compulsory education law.
http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/…/Zwoelf-Staemme…

This latest protest has consequence; an emergency motion for enforcement of compulsory education is delivered in the Bavarian Parliament.
http://www.gruene-fraktion-bayern.de/…/zwoelf-staemme….

Moving abroad, Requests and Public Relations within the Twelve Tribes, An Ex-member again describes his experiences in the sect; Urgent Motion in the Bavarian Parliament, Charges against RTL Reporter

A video is uploaded to youtube with two girls who protray the school in Ries as a place of complete disorder where they couldn’t learn.
http://www.donotlink.com/badi

In June, a notice appears that several families have moved to Austria.
http://www.n-tv.de/…/Mehrere-Zwoelf-Staemme-Famlien…
http://www.tt.com/…/mehrere-familien-der-sekte-zwölf-st…

New thematization of events in Germany appear at CESNUR (Respondants are Jean Swantko Wiseman, Holger Roehr, Edward “Isaac” Dawson, Charles E. Wiseman)
http://www.cesnur.org/2014/waco-programme.htm

Opinion from the district office in Donau-Ries
http://www.donau-ries-aktuell.com/aktuelle-informationen…/

Once again, Christian Reip portrays his experiences in detail
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/…/sekte-zwoelf…/10044034.html
http://derstandard.at/…/Zwoelf-Staemme-Sektenmitglieder…

A request to sent the Twelve Tribes children home for Pentecost (Shavuot) is rejected
http://aktuell.evangelisch.de/…/zwoelf-staemme-kinder…

Swiss Federal Court rejects appeal.
http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/…/Sektenkind…/story/16350375

A large police operation began to search for a missing Twelve Tribes girl.
http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/…/Zwoelf-Staemme…
Der Einsatz wird von dem Rechtsanwalt der ZS kritisiert.
http://www.donau-ries-aktuell.com/rechtsanwalt-der…/

A press release from Ruth Waldmann (SPD) was issued requesting an urgent motion to the Bavarian Parliament.
http://bayernspd-landtag.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/…
https://www.bayern.landtag.de/…/0000001500/0000001777.pdf

Shortly before another broadcast by RTL, the Twelve Tribes lawyer, L., holds a press conference. He issues justification that the corporal punishment of children in the sect (“Discipline”) belong to an overall concept. Also, Wolfram Kuhnigk made misrepresentations and falsified data in his footage. This is the second time he has been thusly charged by the Twelve Tribes’ lawyer in Germany.
http://www.augsburg.tv/?search=zwölf+stämme

RTL reported again on the Twelve Tribes. Allegations in this report relate to possible clandestine employment. (Specifically child labor laws being broken.)
http://www.rtl.de/…/undercover-deutschland-sekte-12…

Wolfram Kuhnigk commented on the allegations.
http://www.donau-ries-aktuell.com/rtl-reporter-wolfram…/

The prosecution wants to review the TV reports.
http://www.br.de/…/privatschule-zwoelf-staemme-100.html

The Twelve Tribes’ lawyer criticized the conduct of the District Court:
http://www.donau-ries-aktuell.com/zwoelf-staemme…/

Photo published on the Twelve Tribes website a few days after all their children were taken

ARE THE GERMAN AUTHORITIES ON A RELIGIOUS WITCH HUNT LIKE THE TT SAY ? IS CHILD ABUSE TRULY HAPPENING IN THE TT?

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE CHILDREN ?
CATCH UP WITH ALL THE NEWS COMING FROM GERMANY AND FORM YOUR OWN OPINION

The stories about the Bible-based Twelve Tribes cult have begun. Our local newspaper carried the story of a former Twelve Tribes member.

Augburger Allgemeine
Von Holger Sabinsky -Wolf and Anika Taiber
September 14, 2013
Translated from the German

He who spares the rod hates his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him often. The Bible provides the seemingly proper saying for every life philosophy. The Twelve Tribes uses the quote from Proverbs 13:24 as justification for the systematic abuse of their children. After all, members of the controversial Bible-based Twelve Tribes cult in Ries admit to striking their children. They say this type of discipline is not bad.

The hearings began on Friday in Ansbach

It’s about provisional withdrawal of parental authority.

On Thursday of last week, police and youth welfare office removed 28 children from the Bible-based Twelve Tribe commune at Deiningen and Klosterzimmern. The ages of the children ranged from six months to 17 years old. The children were subsequently placed in foster homes. Twelve other children were also removed from their parents in Wörnitz.

Bible-based Twelve Tribes cult

The Twelve Tribes are a Bible-based cult which was founded in 1972 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Parents want their children back

The hearing date of the District Court of Ansbach began on Friday at 9:45 a.m. All five sets of parents had come from Wörnitz. The parents demanded their children back and a lawyer from Nördlingen represented them. Six out of the seven witnesses heard were former Twelve Tribes members. As director of the district court of Ansbach, Gudrun Lehnberger announced that the former members described in detail the educational practices of the Bible-based Twelve Tribes cult. During their statements the former members were located in a secret place. The statements were transmitted via video directly into the court room. The judge was on the phone asking questions of the witnesses.

Lehnberger stated that the hearing which also was drafted in English contained 146 pages. She also said that the Twelve Tribes comprehensive education manual played a role. A Catholic official for philosophical questions was interviewed on Friday afternoon as well. After the collective bargaining the judge heard the parents individually all afternoon. The court proceedings at the district court of Ansbach are not open to the public.

On Wednesday, the hearings begin in Nördlingen

The sect criticized the police raid and the removal of their parental rights. The Twelve Tribes parents also accused the state of “child robbery.” Members of the Twelve Tribes community write their version of the police action of the past week amid eyewitness reports. It’s a tough test – but God will provide for us.

A former member hopes that the children remain in the custody of Child Protection Services.

One can shake his head about so much blindness, says former member Benjamin (name changed). Our newspaper has been in contact with him for more than a year. The Twelve Tribes cult are fanatics, he says. It does not surprise him. During his 20 years that he lived in the cloister rooms he held the position of elder. Then he fled with four young children. Today he is a single parent. His wife stayed with the Twelve Tribes. Benjamin has often called the young former members in the past few days. And he cried when he saw the video footage from reporter Wolfram Kuhnigk of children receiving beatings with rods. Since then many crazy memories have returned to me, says Benjamin.

He hopes that the children remain in the custody of the Youth Office. “If the children are returned to their parents, they will quickly leave Germany and go abroad.” This is my conviction. Benjamin also does not think it was a bad that the children were separated from their parents. “The kids get toys and so many new influences,” he says.
An acquaintance has seen a sect child in a foster home at a folk festival. He told him the child looked very satisfied with a teddy bear in hand and a lollipop in his mouth.

His real name is not Benjamin. He is afraid for his children. The Twelve Tribes wrote a long letter to him after his escape. In the letter, the Twelve Tribes prophesied a bleak future for me and a direct path to purgatory. And the children? “You have written, My children belong to God and He will get them back himself.”

Comments are closed.

If they drive through town, they look so friendly. A little spun perhaps, the men with long beards, women with long skirts, but harmless. Their website – Twelve Tribes or community of faith is a group of people from different backgrounds who have found themselves “in the search for life’s meaning, the truth and even God.

They lead a simple life in Bavarian Deiningen in the former Cistercian monastery (Klosterzimmern). They work and live together and share almost everything. We are a Bible-based cult and we follow rules and regulations and the teachings of our leader Elbert Eugene Spriggs. (Editor took some textual liberties for the sake of truth!)

But for more than ten years, rumors were flying around that the world of the Twelve Tribes is not as free and healing as it appears. The Twelve Tribes raised a controversy when they refused to send their children to public schools.

Beatings suspected a year ago

After a long legal dispute, many fines and incarceration the Twelve Tribes finally opened its own private supplementary school in 2006. But the school was closed in the summer of 2013 because the community was unable to provide a professionally trained teacher.

A year ago the authorities had reason to deal more specifically with the Twelve Tribes cult founded in 1972 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A former member told the news that behind the monastery walls children are abused. The Bavarian Ministry of Culture, however, lacked credible evidence. The Augsburg prosecutor terminated the investigation.

Last Thursday something unexpected happened. At six o’clock in the morning the police removed 40 Twelve Tribes children from their parents in Klosterzimmern and Bavarian Wörnitz.

Wolfram Kuhnigk spent two weeks with the Twelve Tribes cult secretly installing hidden cameras. He presented himself as a paramedic with an identity crisis. This was a lie which allowed him to gain insights into the daily life of cult members.

Kuhnigk has spoken with former members who told him of beatings with willow branches. He claims that he learned that children are systematically excluded from their families, if they refuse to obey. He experienced the endless religious rituals, even a two year old had to participate even if they were overwhelmed.

The Reporter was in tears

The reporter installed hidden cameras in monastery rooms that were clearly used in Kuhnigk’s judgment to thrash children. Kuhnigk – the father of two children said – “I almost cried because the scenes that I recorded were so cruel and inhuman.”

According to Kuhnigk’s research, a Twelve Tribes child does not need to commit a big ‘offense’ to be beaten. Play is not encouraged because the community members see fantasy as evil. They feel incompatible thoughts could arise from fantasy. If a child daydreams during school classes or talks during meals they are subject to discipline from baptized Twelve Tribes adults.

According to Kuhnigk’s research, any baptized Twelve Tribes member can discipline children. The members are also highly encouraged to do so! Often women would just beat on the bare bottoms of the children with rods. The cries of the children failed to affect the women. Kuhnigk reported the beating of a three year old.

The children are now in foster care.

On Friday the district court of Ansbach begins an oral hearing of the parents and the 10 affected children. The district court of Nördlingen deals with the fate of the other children. The parental custody rights of Twelve Tribes members has been revoked and their children placed with foster families. It’s quite possible that their children will learn that the free world is not as spoiled as their Twelve Tribes parents want them to believe it is.