FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 08-SEP-2005
The National Coalition of Human Rights Activists emphatically denounces the Scientology corporation's flagrant and opprobrious abuse of a Norway citizen's human rights yesterday. The victim, a human rights activist named Heldal-Lund, told the NCHRA about the harrowing and startling attack against him by the Scientology business.
Scientology Inc. is "sending letters and calling the top management and senior directors (including the board) of the international company I am employed by," said Heldal-Lund. The letters are intended by Scientology Inc. to get the human rights activist fired from his place of employment, in retaliation for Heldal-Lund's human rights and civil rights defenses. The letters in question are filled with libelous and defamatory lies about the human rights activist.
"This is highly abusive, and I hope also illegal in Norway," said the vice-president of the National Coalition of Human Rights Activists (USA), Ms. Rhoda Gunnionson. "Years ago the Scientology business insisted, under oath in front of a USA judge, that it no longer engages in this behavior--- and yet here we see the business still committing the same abuse."
The Scientology business has a policy called "Fair Game" that they use to "utterly destroy" human rights activists who are critical of systemic human rights abuses committed by businesses such as Scientology Inc. The Scientology business claimed it has canceled their "fair game" policy many years ago, but the policy has continued unabated.
At contention is Heldal-Lund's critical opinions against murder, against other crimes, and against human rights abuses. In 1995 Heldal-Lund demonstrated for freedom of religion and in support of religious expression, and he demonstrated against genocide and mass murder: the Scientology business, in its letters trying to get him fired from his place of employment, castigated Heldal-Lund for this liberal and enlightened activism.
"What we see here is exactly what victims of Scientology Inc.'s crimes and human rights abuses have reported for over four decades: the attempt to cause financial and emotional hardship toward anyone who objects to wide-spread and systemic human rights abuses," said David Rice, the president of the NCHRA.
The Scientology corporation calls their abusive act "Pushing the Protect Button:" it is designed to prevent human rights activists from engaging in human rights defense by threatening the activists' financial wellbeing. The Scientology corporation is one of seven USA businesses currently being examined by the NCHRA for human rights abuses.
"The letter is of course filled with lies," said Heldal-Lund, "but what's new?" The Scientology business has never hesitated in lying about those who object to its crimes and human rights abuses. " I feel no particular need to repeatedly publicly defend myself against every false claim the cult and others make up against me," the human rights activist added.
The NCHRA has sent an official complaint to the government of Norway, asking that criminal charges be brought against the writers of the libelous letters.
