Distr.
GENERAL
E/CN.4/1995/91
22 December 1994
ENGLISH
Original: CHINESE/ENGLISH
FRENCH
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
"According to information received, the Church of Scientology is subject to various forms of discrimination.
This discrimination is said to be practised in particular by the political parties.
In December 1991, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is said to have adopted a resolution prohibiting Scientologists from becoming members, leading in particular to the exclusion of members from the party because of their religious belief. In addition, the Youth Union, affiliated to the CDU, is reported to have published a brochure entitled 'Insects: No Thank You' with a fly-swatter. The brochure was reportedly distributed at the CDU Federal Party Convention in February 1994.
In February 1993, the Social Democrats (SPD), the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Free Liberal Party (FLP) and the STAAT party are said to have declared membership of the Church of Scientology incompatible with the principles of their political parties.
The Special Rapporteur has also been informed of several cases of discrimination:
In Hamburg, the Senate is said to have notified the Hamburg Church of Scientology on 26 March 1992 that it was refusing to rent out rooms to it.
In Baden-Wurttemberg, the Government of the State of Baden-Wurttemberg is said to have taken a series of discriminatory measures against the Church of Scientology and its parishioners. These measures allegedly requested the Government to:
Identical measures are reported to have been taken in the States of Saarland, North Rhine-Westfalia, Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
According to information received, persons and organizations associated with Scientology have been blacklisted and subjected to an economic boycott. The following cases were brought to the attention of the Special Rapporteur:
In May 1993, Chick Corea, the jazz musician, was reportedly invited to take part in a concert on the occasion of the World Athletics Championship at Stuttgart. The Government of Baden-Wurttemberg is said to have cancelled the concert after learning that Chick Corea was a Scientologist.
In March 1992, the administrative director of the State capital Dusseldorf is said to have distributed a list naming firms employing Scientologists and in particular the Director-General of Dusseldorf Fair Ltd. In March 1993, it is alleged that the city of Dusseldorf published an order against the Director-General of the Kempe Ltd. real estate company and cancelled the right of Mr. and Mrs. Kempe to recruit apprentices to learn the trade of estate agent because of their religion.
In 1993, in the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, Werner Nolte, a businessman, was reportedly subjected to a media campaign against his company and his family because of his membership of the Church of Scientology. His partners later broke off their trade relations with the company.
In June 1993, a German television presenter, Thomas Gottschalk, is reported to have been wrongly accused of being a Scientologist. Because of false publicity claiming that he was a Scientologist, he announced publicly that he was not, that he had nothing to do with the Church and that he would break off all relations with a friend who was a Scientologist.
In December 1993, it is reported that three businessmen bought space in a local daily newspaper Husumer Nachrichten to proclaim 'We've had enough!' and that they 'had never had and would never have any relations with the Scientology movement or its organizations ...'. The article is stated to have been signed by directors of local companies and the local pastor. At the end of the article there is said to have been a warning that anyone describing these businessmen as Scientologists or accusing them of being in contact with Scientology or other sects would be sued for 'libel'.
On 19 August 1993 the director of Volksfursorge, the public social welfare organization, allegedly informed a trainee, Oliver Freitag, that he would not be employed because he was a member of the Church of Scientology.
The Special Rapporteur was also informed that there had been an increase in acts and threats of violence. The following cases were reported:
Over the last two years, bomb threats are reported to have been made against virtually every Scientology mission and church: Hamburg (3), Hanover (2), Munich (2), Ulm (2), Frankfurt and Dusseldorf.
On 4 June 1993, it is reported that windows of the building rented to the Church of Scientology in Hamburg and cars in its parking lot were vandalized and covered in paint.
On 12 June 1993, the front of a Scientologist's house was allegedly daubed with the inscription 'Scientologist pig'.
In February 1994, the window of a Scientology mission was reportedly broken by a stone wrapped in a pamphlet which stated that Scientology would be 'destroyed'.
On 24 March 1994, a Scientologist lawyer, Mr. Wilhelm Bluemel, is said to have received a fax stating 'Watch out, your time is coming soon!' and anonymous telephone calls.
The children of Scientologists are also reported to have been discriminated against:
On 27 March 1994, the two children of a Scientologist, Lydia Walter, aged 6 and 3, were allegedly the victims of discriminatory acts at the local kindergarten. At the initiative of the group called 'Sect Info Essen', the governing board is said to have specifically requested that there should be no contact with Scientologists. The children were reportedly banned by the rest of the school and their parents informed that the children would be sent home unless they signed a sworn written statement that they would not 'promote' Scientology orally, in writing or by any other means. The contract was also to state that their children were not 'welcome' in the kindergarten. A poster in front of the school is said to have read 'We don't want Scientology' and the school allegedly announced that it would hold an anti-Scientology demonstration with the group 'Sect Info Essen' in April 1994."