Scandal in Haina: 14 minors rescued from subhuman conditions in fake foundation
In the most recent installment of the segment “El trabuco” on Alofoke Deportes, journalist Hansel García exposed heartbreaking details regarding the rescue of 14 minors who were being held under inhumane conditions at the “Restaurando Vidas” foundation, located in the municipality of Haina. The communicator denounced the alarming absence of a system of consequences that allowed this organization to operate clandestinely for more than a decade.
The role of Conani in the face of judicial inaction
García analyzed the intervention of the National Council for Children and Adolescents (Conani), revealing that the institution requested the closure of said establishment on three previous occasions, specifically in the years 2020, 2025, and at the beginning of 2026. However, the journalist clarified that Conani lacks punitive powers to execute criminal sanctions, a responsibility that falls exclusively on the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The office we have in Haina notified the judicial authorities and the prosecutor’s office of the existence of that space where they had children. The operation was carried out and the children were returned to their families. At that time, it was estimated that they were children whose families had handed them over voluntarily.
Ligia Pérez Peña, Executive President of ConaniThe Alofoke Deportes panel harshly criticized that, following the alerts issued by Conani, the prosecutor’s office limited itself to issuing warnings to the center’s directors instead of proceeding with forceful criminal actions.
Forced labor and a criminal facade
The case came to light thanks to the escape of a 12-year-old teenager, who managed to alert the authorities in San Cristóbal, revealing the ordeal the minors were living through. According to reports, the children were victims of:
- Forced labor in agricultural tasks, carpentry, and masonry.
- Confinement in barred rooms used as punishment cells.
- Deprivation of access to education.
- Severe physical and psychological sequelae, according to forensic evaluations.
The investigation also revealed that, under the guise of a rehabilitation clinic, the facility operated as a hideout for criminals and fugitives from justice. Local residents fearfully reported that the supposed patients wandered freely, posing a constant danger to the community.
It is not as they say, that there are no children here; criminal people come here. This supposed foundation has taken it upon itself to bring criminals from the entire country.
Testimony from a Haina community memberCurrently, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested pretrial detention for Ángel Miguel Capellán, alias “El Pastor” or “Ángel Cabaña”, and his accomplice Isaías Ramón Muñoz, who are facing charges for physical and psychological abuse and human trafficking.
