Scientology: getting to the bottom of the Martine Boublil affair

by Emmanuel Fansten 13:53 18/03/2008

According to our information, Martine Boublil, who claims to have been kidnapped by her scientologist brother, has made an official complaint.

[irrelevant pic of Tom Cruise]

The story has shaken Scientology. On January 20, Martine Boublil (48), ex- member of the sect, is discovered half naked in a house in Sardinia. Unable to walk, lying on an infested mattress, this ex-scientologist claims to have been locked up for a one month and half in Sardinia, after being held by force in la Sarthe [in France] for several days previously. Four people were implicated in Italy, as well as the elder brother of the victim, Claude Boublil, a retired doctor, like there others a scientologist.

After Italian justice, the authorities [?] in Paris have opened a preliminary investigation in France, entrusted to the police of the Central Office for the Prevention of Violence to Individuals (OCRVP). According to our information, Martine Boublil, currently in a psychiatric hospital near Paris, has made a formal complaint concerning "abuse of weakness and kidnapping", the authorities have confirmed to us.

Another threat to Scientology, which continues to claim to be uninvolved: "There was no kidnapping, nobody was held against their will", insisted Danièle Gounord, spokesman of the organization in France. "It was a terrible family drama." In which Claude Boublil would have played an important part.

[subhead]

"He was regarded as a demigod by many followers"

Since the beginning of the affair, he has claimed to be a "simple parishioner", who sought to help his sister "to recover spiritually in a calm environment". A way, especially, of getting her out of the clutches of psychiatry, considered to be criminal by Scientology.

Contacted by telephone, Claude Boublil declined to make further comment today. "Scientology has nothing to do with this", he insisted firmly. Problem: the doctor, a known and acknowledged Scientologist, is one of the big shots at the Celebrity Center, the prestigious Parisian center of the organization. A follower for thirty-five years, he has reached level OT8, the highest rank in the organization.

"He was regarded as a demigod by many followers", says Alain Stoffen, pianist and ex-scientologist. "It is he who issued the certificates for purification (a treatment intended for new followers involving vitamins and sauna sessions)".

A Pioneer of Scientology in France, Boublil was even invited to speak on France Inter, in February 1988, to praise the merits of Dianetics, the bible of scientologists written by their founder, Ron Hubard. "It is at this moment in time the most advanced mental science", Boublil explained on air. "I am the most intelligent doctor practising Dianetics." [sic!?]

This same Dianetics would make headlines barely two months later: Patrick Vic, a young member of the Dianetics centre at Lyon, committed suicide in front of his wife. The affair resulted in one of the most damaging lawsuits for Scientology, leading to convictions for manslaughter and fraud.

[subhead] "To say yes, they blinked eyes, for not, they left them open"

Since then Doctor Boublil having retired has been more discrete but remains an influential scientologist. At the end of 2004, still OT7, he supervised a national congress of the organization in Paris. Theme of the conference: "Assistance and dissemination, the magic formula to Clear the Planet."

Can we see a link here with the affair of his sister in Sardinia? "There can be no doubt", insists Arnaud Palisson, former officer of the general Information and specialist [OSA??] in Scientology. For him, the "hell" described by Martine Boublil is not just a simple matter. "They did not address a word to me. To say yes, they blinked eyes, for not, they left them open ", the victim told "Parisien" [newspaper] before her return in France. According to Palisson, this silence corresponds exactly to a classic scientology procedure reserved for "psychotics", and called "Isolation Watch" by Hubbard. Several internal memos describe the precise protocol to be followed:

[quote] "In the presence of a person undergoing a psychotic crisis, totally isolate this person, all communications made must be silent"

In France, kidnapping and false imprisonment have a possible sentence of twenty years in prison. The investigation will now have to determine the exact circumstances of this detention.

Whilst waiting for the opening of a possible criminal case, deputy [member of French parliament] George Fenech is demanding the immediate creation of a parliamentary board of inquiry. Objective: "To burst the abscess [sic], and to determine once and for all the methods of the Church of Scientology." Should disorder be proven with public order, the procedure could lead to a proposal for the movement to be closed down. --

Hartley Patterson

The strange imprisonment that embarrasses Scientology

Rescued by the Italian police, Martine Boublil, a 48 year old French woman, was held prisoner for several weeks by scientologists in an isolated house in Sardinia. An affair which may relaunch debate over the Church of Scientology.

For Scientology, this occurs at a bad moment. While the cult problem returns to the centre of public debate in France, and the Interior Minister has just reminded officials to take extreme vigilance in dealing with the subject, a drama has given a practical example of the causes of the Scientology controversy.

Martine Boublil, 48, former scientologist and sister of one of the highest level Scientologists in France, Claude Boublil, was found at the end of January in Sardinia after a month and a half of imprisonment in appallingly insanitary conditions.

This kidnapping, plainly organised by her brother, had, according to her statements, begun four months earlier on French soil. Hospitalised since her rescue, she returned to France on Tuesday.

Jean-Pierre Brard, deputy mayor and member of the parliamentary commission on cult investigation, alerted by letter the Foreign Minister ten days ago, requesting him to provide "full protection" for this woman. The Interior Ministry said it was "fully aware" of the affair. For the moment, it is the Italian authorities that are making investigations. They have freed four scientologists after obliging them to remain in Sardinia for several days.

If she overcomes her fear and possible pressures, Martine Boublil can lodge a complaint now that she has returned to France. Otherwise the ball would remain in the Italian camp: without an official request for Franco- Italian co-operation, the French authorities cannot act. This agrees with the spokesman of Scientology, Danièle Gounord, who told us that "no legal action was in hand in France" against its organization. Contacted yesterday, he denied any involvement of Scientology and insisted that it was a "family drama".

For Roger Gonnet, former scientologist and now a leading opponent of Scientology, these methods are on the contrary "typical" of this organization. Yesterday he met at the Elysee [President's Residence] Emmanuelle Mignon, the director of cabinet of Nicolas Sarkozy [French President], to discuss these questions.

END

29 January the brother was mentioned in this article (translation by Piltdown Man): "[] it was understood that she had been advised to come to Sardinia by a brother of hers, a member of Scientology, who had assigned the job of looking after her to three members of his church, claiming she was severely depressed." this article has more information about that brother of hers (Google translation):

26/01/2008 19:34 Seizure Boulin, stopped the brother of the victim CIVITAVECCHIA - has been stopped in the port of Civitavecchia, Claude Boublil, the brother of French 47enne segregated for days and three fellow followers of Scientology, in a room of a house in the countryside in rural Ortobene in Nuoro. The man was stopped by men of the border police during a check on passengers of the ship coming from Olbia, arrived in the port of Civitavecchia. Thursday 24 January at 5.30 am. To alert Polmare men of the 23 evening was the Police of Nuoro that from the day of arrest of the three "kidnappers" Martine Maiha Boublil, had lost the tracks. Once landed in Civitavecchia man has been detained and thus transported to barracks pending measures Gip. Obligation to stay in the town of Nuoro for Baublil Claude, as well as the three Compatriots, all accused of "kidnapping". Measure passed by Gip to Polmare late in the morning of January 24. The man is so loaded with state escort ship departing from Civitavecchia at 23.30 and directed to Olbia and then handed over to police officers of Nuoro. http://www.civonline.it/CivOnLineNotiziaStandard.php?IDNotizia=62746&...

so the brother's name is Claude Boublil and the victim's full name is Martine Maiha Boublil

there is only one Claude Boublil in the database, an OTVIII http://www.truthaboutscientology.com/stats/by-name/c/claude-boublil.html

... Roger Gonnet knew him, he mentioned him several times and compared him to Minkoff, Lisa McPherson's doctor :

Monday, January 21, 2008
Another Lisa McPherson case: Three French citizen scientologists arrested in Nuoro, Italy charged with kidnapping and holding captive a woman

3 French members of Scientology were arrested yesterday in Italy for kidnapping and holding hostage a woman, who was found in a condition similar to the one the Late Lisa McPherson was in just before she died in 1995.

This case is disturbing similiar to the 1995 case that resulted in the death of scientologist Lisa McPherson, who also had expressed a desire to leave the organization. LINK however due the alert Italian Police, a death was prevented.

____________ The latest case in Italy with links:

ilGiornale.it - Nuoro, donna segregata Tre francesi in manette - n. 3 del 21-01-2008 Nuoro - Three French citizens belonging to Scientology were arrested in Nuoro on charges that he kidnapped and held captive a fellow of Tunisian origin. Police Headquarters in the Nuoro intervened after a call to 113 had reported invocations help from the rural Mount Ortobene on the hill overlooking the capital barbaricino. Police officers raided surprising on the ground floor and three French citizens on the upper floor of their fellow 47 years, closed in a room full of waste.

The woman was seminuda and slept on a mattress infested by insects and worms. Accompanied ambulance woman has been detained in hospital, but has made time to denounce his jailers. Police have arrested Decouduh Marie Claude, 42 years old, Rachid Hassereldith Kabbara and Julien Queyrou, both 18 years all on charges of abduction. The three, after the findings of rite, were locked up in the home district of Badu 'and Carros available to the judiciary.

ilGiornale.it - Nuoro, donna segregata Tre francesi in manette - n. 3 del 21-01-2008

Nuoro - Three French citizens belonging to Scientology were arrested in Nuoro on charges that he kidnapped and held captive a fellow of Tunisian origin. Police Headquarters in the Nuoro intervened after a call to 113 had reported invocations help from the rural Mount Ortobene on the hill overlooking the capital barbaricino. Police officers raided surprising on the ground floor and three French citizens on the upper floor of their fellow 47 years, closed in a room full of waste.

The woman was seminuda and slept on a mattress infested by insects and worms. Accompanied ambulance woman has been detained in hospital, but has made time to denounce his jailers. Police have arrested Decouduh Marie Claude, 42 years old, Rachid Hassereldith Kabbara and Julien Queyrou, both 18 years all on charges of abduction. The three, after the findings of rite, were locked up in the home district of Badu 'and Carros available to the judiciary. ----------------

ilGiornale.it - Nuoro, donna segregata Tre francesi in manette - n. 3 del 21-01-2008

Nuoro - Tre cittadini francesi appartenenti a Scientology sono stati arrestati a Nuoro con l'accusa di aver sequestrato e tenuto prigioniera una connazionale di origini tunisine. I poliziotti della Questura di Nuoro sono intervenuti dopo che una telefonata al 113 aveva segnalato invocazioni d'aiuto provenienti da un'abitazione rurale sul Monte Ortobene, l'altura che domina il capoluogo barbaricino. Gli agenti hanno fatto irruzione sorprendendo al piano terra tre cittadini francesi ed al piano superiore una loro connazionale di 47 anni, chiusa in una stanza piena di rifiuti.

La donna era seminuda e dormiva su un materasso infestato da insetti e vermi. Accompagnata in ambulanza la donna è stata ricoverata in osservazione, ma ha fatto a tempo a denunciare i suoi aguzzini. I poliziotti hanno arrestato Marie Claude Decouduh, di 42 anni, Rachid Hassereldith Kabbara e Julien Queyrou, entrambi di 18 anni tutti con l'accusa di sequestro di persona. I tre, dopo gli accertamenti di rito, sono stati rinchiusi nella casa circondariale di Badu 'e Carros a disposizione della magistratura.

More story links:
http://www.corriere.it/cronache/08_gennaio_21/nuoro_rapimento_scientology_d2cd3c4c-c826-11dc-8c83-0003ba99c667.shtml
http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/regioni/sardegna/news/2008-01-21_121157631.html
http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=116530
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