 (c)
The Associated Press
Scientology Branch Loses License
October 6, 1999
MOSCOW (AP) - In the latest move against a
foreign religious group, a court
today revoked the license of the Moscow
center of the Church of Scientology
because of problems with its registration
papers.
Prosecutors said they began investigating the
Humanitarian Hubbard Center after
receiving dozens of complaints from parents
about attempts to influence their
children.
The license was revoked
because names that appeared on the registration
documents were found to have
no connection to the center, officials said.
A local court today upheld
city prosecutors' decision to revoke the
registration. The center was still
operating, and it had 10 days to appeal the
decision.
Center spokesman
Alexei Danchenkov said the registration documents had been
corrected in 1997
and claimed that the authorities were acting out of political
reasons, The
Moscow Times reported.
``These are methods of eradicating nonprofit
organizations and are tied to the
ongoing struggle of the Orthodox Church to
re-establish its complete
dominance,'' he was quoted as saying.
The
Russian government passed a law in 1997 that gives courts the right to
ban
religious groups found guilty of inciting hatred or intolerant
behavior.
The law was adopted under strong pressure from the Russian
Orthodox Church,
which is jealously guarding its position in Russia and is
eager to see a ban on
some foreign religious groups, accusing them of
``aggressive proselytism.''
The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology
was founded in 1954 by science
fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard and teaches that
technology can expand the mind
and help solve problems.
Moscow
authorities have also moved against the Jehovah's Witnesses during the
past
year.
AP-NY-10-08-99 0522EDT
Comments; Russia
Searches through Russian news this item dated 6 october 1999
was
found which which says that Moscow government revoked the
registration of
"Humanitarian Hubbard center" on the grounds
that it used fake documents in
the process, and three out of
ten of the original founders' signatures were
also faked.
The court decision was appealed, but 14.02.2000 it was
reported in the news as being put into action.
No news items about
them getting the decision backwards in
any manner was found, however, which
makes it rather stupid
that a lady now claiming to be a PR person of a
non-existent
organisation is threatening with lawsuit in Russia.
:)
There's also reportedly an order of the Ministry of Health
for
health institutions numbered 254 and dated 19.06.1996
which says that
"propaganda and use of methods of
scientology and dianetics shall not be
permitted".
Best wishes,
Andreas Heldal-Lund, Nunsteinvegen 9, N-4056
Tananger, Norway
Pho: +47 90 04 32 99 Fax: 90 32 35 46 E-mail:
ahl@xenu.net
home.sol.no/~spirous www.xenu.net
www.hedning.no/hedning
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