Abuse continued after Swiss sect leader’s conviction
Thursday 27th August 2026 on 12:00 in
Switzerland
Sexual abuse allegedly continued for decades after Swiss sect leader Paul Baumann was sentenced to seven years in prison in 1976, according to SRF’s documentary series Der Engelmacher. Baumann, the spiritual leader of the Methernitha faith community in Linden, in the canton of Bern, was known as Vatti.
Baumann gathered around 300 followers on an estate in Linden from the 1950s onwards. The community was enclosed behind barbed wire and subjected to strict control. Its central commandment was: “Recognise that you are a child of silence.”
The girls who came under Baumann’s influence were allegedly supposed to be turned into angels. The guru personally carried out what he described as their spiritual cleansing. One survivor, identified as Beatrice, said Baumann abused her regularly from her 12th birthday until she escaped.
Beatrice said she asked Baumann whether what he was doing was sex. He allegedly replied that it was something very special. She joined the community as a member and was 19 when she helped bring Baumann to prison.
The documentary, directed by Marina Klauser, reports that Baumann abused a group of girls in a carpet warehouse even on the day of his sentencing, using the pretext of saying goodbye to his family. The abuse allegedly continued after his release, until he no longer had the physical ability or desire to continue, according to one woman who spoke anonymously in the series.
One former member said Baumann’s first visit in Linden on the day of his release was to the girls’ house. Another former member said about ten girls and women became victims after Baumann returned from prison. One survivor said the extent of the abuse was even greater after his release than before.
The 1976 court ruling ordered that Baumann be monitored after his release. Several former members have accused the authorities of failing to act, saying they looked away for decades instead of investigating.
The municipality of Linden and Methernitha, which still exists in the municipality, declined an invitation to appear in Klauser’s film.