32 ICSA TODAY 30
this month. Jeffs became a federal fugitive on June 19 when
he ditched his GPS ankle monitor. A warrant has been issued
for his arrest. ...Rachel assumes Lyle is with one or two other
people living in some house of hiding that only a few in his
circle know of. Soon a driver will move him to another house
in a vehicle owned by a third person. ‘It’s very much thought
out how to hide people,’ Rachel said.” (The Salt Lake Tribune,
06/26/16)
India’s Mathura cult clashes raise disturbing questions
“When cops clashed with a cult of 3000 heavily armed men
and women at Mathura in the central Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh on June 2, leading to dozens of injuries and the death
of 24 people, including two senior and celebrated police
officers, it came as a shock. Not just for those in khaki, but
also the government—which had been caught napping on
the intelligence front. When the police entered the illegally
occupied enclosure of the cult, Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik
Kranti Satyagrahi, on government horticultural land
(Jawahar Bagh) on June 2—not really to evict the members,
but to carry out an assessment—the cops found themselves
confronting a hostile mob. The women stood with batons,
while the men were perched on tree tops with guns. They
began firing and used cooking gas cylinders to set off blasts.
The police had to beat a hasty retreat before regrouping itself
and calling for more reinforcements. ...About 360 people
were arrested, including 58 on serious charges of homicide
and attempt to murder. ...What is equally disturbing is that
Mathura is just 161 km away from India’s capital, and if there
has been an intelligence failure in the state, there seems to
have been a greater slip-up at the federal level in New Delhi.
And in these times of terrorism, such carelessness can be very
costly.” (Asia Times, 06/04/16)
Russia arrests Scientologist for stealing $2M and giving to
church
“Authorities in Russia say a woman stole money given to
her for dream homes and donated it to the Church of
Scientology. Ekaterina Zaborskikh allegedly stole 130
million rubles ($2 million) between 2012 and 2014 by selling
Russians apartments that were never built by her construction
company, an indictment in St. Petersburg alleged last week, as
reported by Komsomolskaya Pravda. Part of that money was
funneled to her church, prosecutors say. ...In January 2015,
authorities raided the Moscow church to analyze financial
documents. ...The raid, however, was only the start of
Scientology’s problems in Russia. A Moscow court banned the
church in November over its American trademark of its name.
‘The representatives of the Church of Scientology themselves
have created many legal conflicts by restricting the religious
freedom through the use of trademarks,’ Russia’s Ministry of
Justice said, according to RT [TV network]. ‘So it turns out a
commercial partnership was spreading the religion, while
religion can only be spread by religious organizations.’ But
not to be deterred, the Church vowed to appeal and said its
trademarks were no different from those appearing on copies
of the Bible or the Quran. The European Court of Human
Rights has, in fact, ruled in favor of Scientology several times.”
(Daily Beast, 04/25/16)
Scientologist must pay damages for “vitriolic” personal
attack
“A chiropractor [Zabrina Collins] was ordered by a judge
on Monday to pay €5,000 damages for a ‘vitriolic and
personalized’ attack on the character of a Co Mayo [County
Mayo, Ireland] man who opposes the beliefs and teachings of
the Church of Scientology, of which she is a leading member.
Judge James O’Donohoe in the Circuit Civil Court said that
allegations by Zabrina Collins against Peter Griffiths of criminal
activity, hate-mongering and links to gay pornographic
movies of teenage boys ‘were largely untrue and grossly
defamatory.’ ...The judge said on Monday that the claim of
qualified privilege regarding Ms Collins’s remarks could not
extend to protect such ‘a vile attack’ on Mr. Griffiths’s good
name. He said there had been a good deal of history and
animus between the two parties that accounted for the tone
of the email, which he described as ‘malicious in the extreme.’
He said publication of the defamatory remarks had not been
extensive and had been directed to the school principal.
Judge O’Donohoe also gave judgment in a second, related
case in which Ms. Collins ...and Scientologist Michael
O’Donell ...sued Mr. Griffiths and embalmer John McGhee,
of Armstrong Grove, Clara, Co Offaly, for assault and battery.
...The judge awarded Ms. Collins and Mr. O’Donnell a total
of €3,500 against Mr. McGhee for assault and battery. Mr.
Griffiths, he said, had played a lesser role by videoing the
assault, but had nevertheless consorted with Mr. McGhee.
For harassment and assault he awarded Ms. Collins and Mr.
O’Donnell €2,000 damages against Mr. Griffiths. Mr. Beatty and
Mr. O’Tuathail agreed that the question of costs could be dealt
with by the court at a later date.” (Irish Times, 04/25/16)
Russia’s Supreme Court dismisses complaint filed by
Church of Scientology
“Russia’s Supreme Court has dismissed a complaint the
Moscow Church of Scientology had lodged in connection
to the Russian Justice Ministry refusal to register this
organization’s charter, a court representative told RAPSI on
Thursday. ...The Moscow Regional Court ruled in 2012 that
some of [L. Ron] Hubbard’s books be included on the Federal
List of Extremist Literature and prohibited from distribution in
Russia.” (RAPSI, 5/5/16)
Woman drops lawsuit against Scientology
“A Texas woman embroiled in a years-long legal battle with
the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige
filed a motion Tuesday to voluntarily dismiss her harassment
lawsuit against the church and some of its top officials. The
this month. Jeffs became a federal fugitive on June 19 when
he ditched his GPS ankle monitor. A warrant has been issued
for his arrest. ...Rachel assumes Lyle is with one or two other
people living in some house of hiding that only a few in his
circle know of. Soon a driver will move him to another house
in a vehicle owned by a third person. ‘It’s very much thought
out how to hide people,’ Rachel said.” (The Salt Lake Tribune,
06/26/16)
India’s Mathura cult clashes raise disturbing questions
“When cops clashed with a cult of 3000 heavily armed men
and women at Mathura in the central Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh on June 2, leading to dozens of injuries and the death
of 24 people, including two senior and celebrated police
officers, it came as a shock. Not just for those in khaki, but
also the government—which had been caught napping on
the intelligence front. When the police entered the illegally
occupied enclosure of the cult, Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik
Kranti Satyagrahi, on government horticultural land
(Jawahar Bagh) on June 2—not really to evict the members,
but to carry out an assessment—the cops found themselves
confronting a hostile mob. The women stood with batons,
while the men were perched on tree tops with guns. They
began firing and used cooking gas cylinders to set off blasts.
The police had to beat a hasty retreat before regrouping itself
and calling for more reinforcements. ...About 360 people
were arrested, including 58 on serious charges of homicide
and attempt to murder. ...What is equally disturbing is that
Mathura is just 161 km away from India’s capital, and if there
has been an intelligence failure in the state, there seems to
have been a greater slip-up at the federal level in New Delhi.
And in these times of terrorism, such carelessness can be very
costly.” (Asia Times, 06/04/16)
Russia arrests Scientologist for stealing $2M and giving to
church
“Authorities in Russia say a woman stole money given to
her for dream homes and donated it to the Church of
Scientology. Ekaterina Zaborskikh allegedly stole 130
million rubles ($2 million) between 2012 and 2014 by selling
Russians apartments that were never built by her construction
company, an indictment in St. Petersburg alleged last week, as
reported by Komsomolskaya Pravda. Part of that money was
funneled to her church, prosecutors say. ...In January 2015,
authorities raided the Moscow church to analyze financial
documents. ...The raid, however, was only the start of
Scientology’s problems in Russia. A Moscow court banned the
church in November over its American trademark of its name.
‘The representatives of the Church of Scientology themselves
have created many legal conflicts by restricting the religious
freedom through the use of trademarks,’ Russia’s Ministry of
Justice said, according to RT [TV network]. ‘So it turns out a
commercial partnership was spreading the religion, while
religion can only be spread by religious organizations.’ But
not to be deterred, the Church vowed to appeal and said its
trademarks were no different from those appearing on copies
of the Bible or the Quran. The European Court of Human
Rights has, in fact, ruled in favor of Scientology several times.”
(Daily Beast, 04/25/16)
Scientologist must pay damages for “vitriolic” personal
attack
“A chiropractor [Zabrina Collins] was ordered by a judge
on Monday to pay €5,000 damages for a ‘vitriolic and
personalized’ attack on the character of a Co Mayo [County
Mayo, Ireland] man who opposes the beliefs and teachings of
the Church of Scientology, of which she is a leading member.
Judge James O’Donohoe in the Circuit Civil Court said that
allegations by Zabrina Collins against Peter Griffiths of criminal
activity, hate-mongering and links to gay pornographic
movies of teenage boys ‘were largely untrue and grossly
defamatory.’ ...The judge said on Monday that the claim of
qualified privilege regarding Ms Collins’s remarks could not
extend to protect such ‘a vile attack’ on Mr. Griffiths’s good
name. He said there had been a good deal of history and
animus between the two parties that accounted for the tone
of the email, which he described as ‘malicious in the extreme.’
He said publication of the defamatory remarks had not been
extensive and had been directed to the school principal.
Judge O’Donohoe also gave judgment in a second, related
case in which Ms. Collins ...and Scientologist Michael
O’Donell ...sued Mr. Griffiths and embalmer John McGhee,
of Armstrong Grove, Clara, Co Offaly, for assault and battery.
...The judge awarded Ms. Collins and Mr. O’Donnell a total
of €3,500 against Mr. McGhee for assault and battery. Mr.
Griffiths, he said, had played a lesser role by videoing the
assault, but had nevertheless consorted with Mr. McGhee.
For harassment and assault he awarded Ms. Collins and Mr.
O’Donnell €2,000 damages against Mr. Griffiths. Mr. Beatty and
Mr. O’Tuathail agreed that the question of costs could be dealt
with by the court at a later date.” (Irish Times, 04/25/16)
Russia’s Supreme Court dismisses complaint filed by
Church of Scientology
“Russia’s Supreme Court has dismissed a complaint the
Moscow Church of Scientology had lodged in connection
to the Russian Justice Ministry refusal to register this
organization’s charter, a court representative told RAPSI on
Thursday. ...The Moscow Regional Court ruled in 2012 that
some of [L. Ron] Hubbard’s books be included on the Federal
List of Extremist Literature and prohibited from distribution in
Russia.” (RAPSI, 5/5/16)
Woman drops lawsuit against Scientology
“A Texas woman embroiled in a years-long legal battle with
the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige
filed a motion Tuesday to voluntarily dismiss her harassment
lawsuit against the church and some of its top officials. The
