SCHÄFER, Paul (SHAY-fur)

Paul Schäfer Schneider was a German-Chilean cult leader and convicted child molester who established Colonia Dignidad (Colony of Dignity), a isolated agricultural commune in Chile that operated as both a religious settlement and torture facility for the Pinochet regime from 1961 to 2005. Born in Troisdorf, Germany in 1921, Schäfer served as a medical orderly in the German Army during World War II before becoming a Baptist lay preacher in post-war Germany.

In 1960, facing sexual abuse allegations involving children in his congregation, Schäfer fled Germany with approximately 300 followers and established the settlement in rural Chile's Parral Province. Operating under the guise of a charitable organization and Christian community, the colony became a hermetically sealed compound where Schäfer exercised absolute control over residents' lives, separating children from parents, mandating celibacy, and systematically abusing minors.

During Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship (1973-1990), Colonia Dignidad served as a torture and detention center for political prisoners, with DINA agents using the facility's isolation and Schäfer's medical knowledge to conduct interrogations. The colony also provided weapons storage, money laundering services, and medical experimentation facilities for the regime. Schäfer's network extended to high-ranking Chilean officials and military personnel who protected the operation in exchange for services.

Following Chile's return to democracy, investigations revealed extensive human rights violations, child abuse, and illegal activities within the colony. Schäfer fled to Argentina in 1997 but was arrested in 2005 and extradited to Chile, where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for child sexual abuse. He died in Chilean custody in 2010, aged 88, while serving his sentence.