RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS


Moscow court liquidates group of Scientologists

MOSCOW CITY COURT BANS ACTIVITY OF MOSCOW CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY

RIA Novosti, 23 November 2015

 

On Monday, the Moscow city court banned the activity of the Church of Scientology of Moscow, a RIA Novosti correspondent transmits from the courtroom.

 

In this way, Judge Mikhail Kazakov granted the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice, which concluded that the activity of that organization is not in compliance with the provisions of the federal law on freedom of religious confessions.

 

The judge's decision announced: "To grant the lawsuit of the Ministry of Justice for liquidation; to remove information about the Church of Scientology of Moscow from the Uniform Registry of Legal Entities; and to require respondent to create a commission for liquidation within six months." The respondents may appeal the decision in the Supreme Court of the RF.

 

In addition, during an inspection the ministry discovered that the word "scientology" has been registered as a trademark whose copyright owner is the Center of Religious Technology in the USA. The plaintiffs emphasize that this violates requirements of legislation of the RF regarding freedom of conscience and religious confession.

 

A representative of the Ministry of Justice noted: "Representatives of Scientology themselves created numerous legal collisions by restricting religiosity and religious confession with trademarks." He said that liquidation of the church does not restrict the right to freedom of religious confession since here it is necessary to apply the law on protection of consumer rights. "It turns out that a commercial partnership is purveying religion, but religion may be purveyed only by religious organizations," the representative of the ministry added.

 

Representatives of the church, to the contrary, called the justice ministry's lawsuit "antireligious" and an abuse of power. "There is no big deal in books of religious contents being protected by copyright. Similar notations exist both in Orthodox books and in editions of the Quran. Otherwise nothing protects texts from distortion and heretics will appear," a representative of the Scientologists noted.

 

In its opinion, liquidation of the church violates the rights of ministers and parishioners. "This is the only Church of Scientology in Russia. If it is liquidated, then all Scientologists in the country will not be able to religiously confess in Russia because a priest will not be protected by the confidentiality of the confessional," the lawyer added. The respondent recalled that the European Court for Human Rights has already issued a decision in favor of Scientologists in their dispute with the Ministry of Justice, which refused to approve the charter of the organization.

 

The hearing of the lawsuit began more than a year ago, but subsequently it was suspended pending the completion of the review of the appeal of Scientologists, who challenged the refusal to approve the charter of the organization.

 

Dianetics and Scientology are a religious-philosophical movement that was founded in the USA in the early 1950s by science fiction writer Lafayette Ron Hubbard. The scientific community has not recognized it as science.

 

Several of Hubbard's books were included in the Federal List of Extremist Materials, by decision of a Moscow provincial court, and their distribution on the territory of the RF was prohibited.

 

It was designated as a pseudo-religion by a determination by the bishops' council of the Russian Orthodox Church titled "On pseudo-Christian sects, neopaganism, and occultism." (tr. by PDS, posted 23 November 2015)

 

MOSCOW CITY COURT UPHOLDS LIQUIDATION OF MOSCOW ASSOCIATION OF SCIENTOLOGISTS

Interfax-Religiia, 23 November 2015

 

On Monday, the Moscow city court satisfied the lawsuit of the capital directorate of the Ministry of Justice for the liquidation of the Church of Scientology of Moscow.

 

As an Interfax correspondent reported, the judge completely satisfied the petition of representatives of the justice ministry.

 

During the judicial session, representatives of the Ministry of Justice declared that the name "Scientology" is registered as a trademark, and consequently the Church of Scientology of Moscow cannot call itself a religious organization. The declarers of the lawsuit consider that this fact does not accord with the law on religious associations.

 

In their turn, the Scientologists asked that the petition of the Ministry of Justice be rejected. They insisted that the liquidation of the religious association violates the rights of tens of thousands of its members.

 

In late October of last year, the Moscow city court suspended consideration of the case for the liquidation of the organization until the conclusion of the judicial process that at that time was being conducted by the respondents in district court. On 1 July, the Izmailovo court of Moscow denied the appeal of the Scientologists against the refusal of the Ministry of Justice to register the charter of the organization.

 

In 2013, on the basis of the results of a scheduled inquiry, the capital directorate of the ministry came to the conclusion that the charter of the organization that was in effect at that time did not conform to the requirements of the law "On freedom of conscience and religious associations," and its name does not contain an indication of the legal organizational form and religious confession.

 

In addition, the word "Scientology" is registered as a trademark whose legal owner is the Center of Religious Technology (USA). Simultaneous use of the aforesaid word as a name for a religious confession violates the requirement of article 28 of the Russian constitution.

 

On the basis of results of a state religious studies expert analysis, the Church of Scientology of Moscow was not recognized as a religious organization.

 

In mid-August, there was confiscated from the office of Scientologists on Taganka Street in Moscow "spy" equipment—illegally installed elements of a system of audio and video surveillance consisting of acoustic microphones and video cameras which belong to the category of special devices intended for covert collection of information.

 

Later an official representative of the capital chief directorate of the Investigation Committee of Russia, Julia Ivanova, reported that on the basis of results of searches a criminal case had been opened for illegal trafficking in special technical devices (art. 138.1 of the Criminal Code).

 

A St. Petersburg court in 2007 issued a decision on the basis of an appeal by the prosecutor's office for the liquidation of the "Scientology Center," which, inter alia, alleged the illegal collection of information about private life.

 

Scientology is a religious-philosophical movement that arose in the USA in the middle of the past century. The founder of the movement was the American science fiction writer Lafayette Ron Hubbard, who creased a system of beliefs and practices consisting of a compilation of various kinds of semi-scientific and religious ideas and aimed at people who are striving for success. (tr. by PDS, posted 23 November 2015)


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