{"id":221215,"date":"2026-01-14T10:27:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T10:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/?p=221215"},"modified":"2026-01-14T10:32:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T10:32:21","slug":"the-ghost-of-revisionism-revisiting-the-2000-buenos-aires-yoga-school-case-1-a-momentous-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/the-ghost-of-revisionism-revisiting-the-2000-buenos-aires-yoga-school-case-1-a-momentous-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ghost of Revisionism: Revisiting the 2000 Buenos Aires Yoga School Case. 1. A Momentous Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Massimo Introvigne<\/em><\/p>\n

The 25th<\/sup> anniversary of the acquittal of the BAYS defendants deserves celebration, not falsification<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In 2025, Argentina quietly marked the 25th anniversary of a judicial decision that deserves louder remembrance. On May 11, 2000, Judge Roberto Corval\u00e1n de la Colina issued a ruling that not only acquitted the Buenos Aires Yoga School (BAYS) of serious criminal charges but also stood as a rare moment of clarity in a fog of moral panic. Today, as a new case seeks to reexamine the same facts and revive long-dismissed accusations, it is essential to revisit what was truly decided \u2013 and why that decision still matters.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Buenos Aires Yoga School (BAYS) founder Juan Percowicz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Founded in the 1980s by Juan Percowicz, the BAYS was never a conventional yoga school. It was a philosophical laboratory, blending Eastern spirituality, Western esotericism, and rigorous intellectual inquiry. Students studied subjects such as metaphysics, ethics, and Fyodor Dostoevsky\u2019s ideas. They spent time in the school\u2019s cafeteria, attended lectures, and participated in artistic and business ventures.<\/p>\n

Percowicz was a respected intellectual in Argentina. In 1992, for example, he lectured at the Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel in an event declared of \u201cnational interest\u201d and endorsed by the Ministry of Culture and Education.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Conference by Juan Percowicz on June 5, 1992, at Sheraton hotel: \u201cWestern Philosophy as an alternative to the scourges of drugs, AIDS, and violence.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

BAYS\u2019 eclecticism made it a magnet for seekers \u2013 and a target for suspicion. Anti-cult activists, emboldened by campaigns in France and Spain, began to export their ideology to Argentina. Theories of \u201cbrainwashing,\u201d already discredited in U.S. courts by 1990, found new life in Latin America. The BAYS became a convenient scapegoat with its unconventional teachings and close-knit community.<\/p>\n

The legal saga began in 1993, sparked by parents\u2019 disapproval of their adult children\u2019s involvement with the BAYS. The parents produced a cascade of lurid accusations: tales of forced prostitution, sexual initiation rituals, and psychological manipulation. Among the accusers was the father of Pablo Salum, who would later become Argentina\u2019s most vocal anti-cult activist.<\/p>\n

Salum\u2019s own testimony was contradictory. Initially, he denied his father\u2019s claims, stating he had simply lost interest in the school. Later, after further family disputes \u2013 including one where he allegedly threatened his brother with a knife \u2013 Salum reversed course, alleging orgies, sexual abuse, and coercion. Judge Corval\u00e1n de la Colina had to navigate this maze of conflicting statements, media sensationalism, and ideological pressure.<\/p>\n

His ruling, issued in May 2000, was a masterclass in judicial sobriety. Unlike most scholars of religion, Corval\u00e1n believed in the existence of \u201cbrainwashing,\u201d citing controversial Spanish psychologist \u00c1lvaro Rodr\u00edguez Carballeira\u2019s book \u201cEl lavado de cerebro<\/em>.\u201d Yet he concluded that the BAYS had not practiced brainwashing. He found no evidence of psychological servitude, coercive persuasion, or manipulation. The alleged victims denied abuse, and psychological evaluations confirmed their mental competence.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\u00c1lvaro Rodr\u00edguez Carballeira<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The most serious charge \u2013 sexual abuse of both adults and minors \u2013 collapsed under scrutiny<\/strong><\/p>\n

The supposed victims not only denied being abused but remained in the yoga school, even after years of media vilification and judicial ordeal. Corval\u00e1n wrote that their choice to stay reflected a \u201cproject of life their parents probably did not approve of<\/em>,\u201d but one protected by the Argentine Constitution.<\/p>\n

Corval\u00e1n did devote pages to the question of whether BAYS was a \u201ccult\u201d (secta<\/em>). He ultimately noted that operating a \u201ccult\u201d was not a crime under Argentine law. His belief in theories of \u201ccults\u201d practicing brainwashing \u2013 now widely regarded as pseudoscientific \u2013 makes his conclusion all the more remarkable. Despite his theoretical leanings, he found no evidence that BAYS had engaged in coercive or illegal practices.<\/p>\n

The term \u201ccult\u201d is often used not as a descriptor but as a condemnation. It stigmatizes minority spiritual movements, conflating unconventional beliefs with criminal intent. In the case of BAYS, the label obscured more than it revealed. Ultimately, beyond terminology, the 2000 decision acknowledged that what the BAYS offered was not manipulation but meaning; not coercion but community.<\/p>\n

Some critics have suggested that Corval\u00e1n\u2019s decision was influenced by domestic and international external pressure. This claim is not only unfounded \u2013 the judge himself refuted it. A judge who decides based on pressure would certainly not mention it in his ruling. On the contrary, Corval\u00e1n wrote, \u201cIn my long judicial career, I was never submitted to such pressure<\/em>.\u201d He acknowledged that dozens of personalities had contacted him to defend BAYS, including American psychologist H. Newton Malony, a key figure in debunking \u201cbrainwashing\u201d theories in U.S. courts.<\/p>\n

Yet, Corval\u00e1n did not yield to these voices. On the contrary, he wrote that he had been \u201cmightily disturbed<\/em>\u201d by the interventions, but did not let his irritation cloud his judgment. His ruling was based on evidence, not influence. If anything, his irritation with the pressure made his acquittal more significant.<\/p>\n

After the 2000 decision, BAYS chose discretion over triumphalism. In 1999, it stopped admitting new members. It continued its teaching, publishing, and consulting activities but kept a low profile. The story of its legal vindication remained confined mainly to two subcultures: BAYS members and anti-cult activists. This silence would prove costly when, in 2022, a new raid reignited old accusations.<\/p>\n

The lack of public awareness about the 2000 ruling has allowed journalists and prosecutors to treat the current case as a fresh investigation, rather than a retread of discredited claims. It has also enabled the recycling of previously dismissed or contradicted testimonies, as we will see in the further articles of this series.<\/p>\n

For now, let us remember what was decided in 2000. Let us honour the integrity of a judge who refused to be swayed by ideology or emotion. And let us resist the temptation to rewrite history for the sake of a headline. Justice, once rendered, deserves to be remembered.<\/p>\n

Source: <\/em>bitterwinter.org<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

About the author<\/strong><\/p>\n

Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR<\/a>), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia<\/em> (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy<\/em>). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion<\/em> and of the executive board of University of California Press\u2019 Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the \u201cRepresentative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions\u201d of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

yogaesoteric
\nJanuary 14, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 25th anniversary of the acquittal of the BAYS defendants deserves celebration, not falsification. On May 11, 2000, Judge Roberto Corval\u00e1n de la Colina issued a ruling that not only acquitted the Buenos Aires Yoga School (BAYS) of serious criminal charges but also stood as a rare moment of clarity in a fog of moral panic. Today, as a new case seeks to reexamine the same facts and revive long-dismissed accusations, it is essential to revisit what was truly decided \u2013 and why that decision still matters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[835],"tags":[1512],"class_list":["post-221215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-modern-crusade-against-spirituality-3480-en","tag-bivolaru_case"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221215"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221223,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221215\/revisions\/221223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogaesoteric.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}