Authorities questioned for inaction regarding irregularities at closed foundation
Journalist Hansel García has put the institutional management surrounding the Fundación Restaurando Vidas: Un Muerto Que Revive under the microscope, questioning how the center managed to keep its doors open and continue receiving minors, despite having been intervened on multiple occasions by the National Council for Children and Adolescents (Conani).
During his appearance on Esto No es Radio Show, García exposed critical details of the file presented by the Public Ministry against Ángel Gabriel Capellán, known as “El Pastor,” and his collaborator Isaías Ramón Muñoz. According to the documents presented, the regulatory entity had ordered the closure of the establishment and prohibited the admission of new children on repeated occasions.
Conani had closed this foundation on three occasions. It closed it in ’20, where it issued a warning that they could not have minors again. It closed it again in ’21 with the same warnings and closed it again in ’25 with the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Despite all that, that man or those men managed to find a way and continued operating.
Hansel García
Lack of supervision and latent risks
For the communicator, this case transcends the responsibility of the accused and highlights a worrying weakness in the state surveillance system. García posed a question to society: How many other shelters could currently be operating outside the law, without official records and under precarious conditions?
- Lack of permits: The Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains in its request for coercive measures that the foundation lacked legal authorization to operate as a foster home.
- Absence of controls: Continued operation after interventions suggests a lack of effective follow-up by the competent institutions.
- Forensic evidence: The file includes medical certificates and psychological evaluations that are part of the evidence presented by the prosecution.
The debate on public defense
García also referred to the voices that have come out in defense of Capellán, including evangelical leader Ezequiel Molina. Although the journalist acknowledged the constitutional right of every citizen to express their position, he emphasized that good intentions do not exempt anyone from strict compliance with child protection regulations.
“I would like to think that everyone who is defending the pastor, with every right in the world, has not seen this request made by the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” García pointed out, urging public opinion to analyze the evidentiary elements before making value judgments.
Finally, the Alofoke Deportes analyst reiterated that the judicial process must clarify not only the events that occurred within the foundation, but also the reasons why the preventive measures ordered by the authorities were not sufficient to safeguard the integrity of the minors involved.
