Scientology
Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a Scientology as a business, business, or a new religious movement. The most recent ...
has been subjected to considerable regulation in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
including having books prohibited, and branches forced closed.
Church of Scientology Moscow v. Russia
In April 2007, the
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...
ruled against Russia for repeatedly refusing to consider the Moscow Church of Scientology's application for the status of a legally valid religious association.
The court found that the reasons given to deny re-registration of the church by the justice department and endorsed by the Moscow courts had no legal basis.
Other events
In July 2007, the
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
City Court ordered that the city's Scientology center be closed for violating its charter by engaging in unlicensed health care services. A court in
Samara came to a similar decision in November 2008, closing down the activities of the local center for practicing without a license.
In September 2009, the European Court of Human Rights issued a binding ruling in favor of two Scientology branches in
Surgut and
Nizhnekamsk
Nizhnekamsk ( rus, Нижнекамск, p=nʲɪʐnʲɪˈkamsk; tt-Cyrl, Түбән Кама, ''Tübän Qama'') is a city in Tatarstan, Russia, located to the south of the Kama River between the cities of Naberezhnye Chelny and Chistopol. Popul ...
, which had been denied registration as "religious organizations."
The two organizations were awarded 20,000 € in costs and damages.
The ruling, which cannot be appealed, said that Russia could not ban the Church of Scientology simply because it did not have a long history in the country.
In December 2009, the court closed the Dianetics Center in
Naberezhnye Chelny
Naberezhnye Chelny ( rus, На́бережные Челны́, p=ˈnabʲɪrʲɪʐnɨjə tɕɪlˈnɨ; tt-Cyrl, Яр Чаллы, ''Yar Çallı'', IPA: jar ɕɑlːɤ̆ is the second largest city in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. A major indus ...
.
In 2010, some of the works of L. Ron Hubbard were included into Russia's
Federal List of banned extremist materials, and removed on 3 May 2011. Another such attempt was made by prosecutor in mid-2011 and was unsuccessful.
In November 2015, the activities of the Church of Scientology Moscow were banned by the Moscow city court, an action which was supported by the Supreme Court in June 2016. Two reasons stand for this lengthened struggle between the Church of Scientology and the Russian ministry of justice, first is that the Russian Orthodox Church views CoS as a “destructive organization.” The ROC is split between two contradicting opinions, first that “Scientology is a dangerous heretical sect,” and the others say it is not a religion and is “purely commercial.” One reason for this position is that the Church of Scientology’s name is a United States Trademark and therefore cannot be religious.
In 2016 and 2019, police raided the Moscow and St. Petersburg branches and made several arrests.
In June 2017, leaders of the Church of Scientology in St. Petersburg were arrested, charged with "participation in an ‘extremist’ community, incitement of hatred, and illegal business activities." According to Falikov, the accusations have no real basis. As for the accusations of illegal business activities, the Church of Scientology is made up of two branches, one a religious community “with no right to carry on a commercial activity, and the other a commercial branch, which sells books.” Falikov writes. He calls the accusations an “instrument of suppression.” He also mentioned that those arrested won a case against the European Court when their church branch was banned.
In September 2018, the
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the lead ...
adopted the case of imprisoned Russian Scientologist Ivan Matsitsky, calling him a "
prisoner of conscience." Matsitsky had been imprisoned on June 5, 2017 after a raid on a Church of Scientology in St. Petersburg. Matsitsky's case was adopted along with that of another religious worker imprisoned in Russia,
Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
Dennis Christensen. On their imprisonment, Vice Chair of the USCIRF Kristina Arriaga stated "These two cases are examples of the Russian government ‘securitizing’ religion—targeting religious communities it considers illegitimate on the pretext that they pose a national security threat.”
In 2021, Russia labelled
World Institute of Scientology Enterprises
World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE) is a Church of Scientology organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It states that it is an "international membership organization whose members use both L. Ron Hubbard management tec ...
and
Church of Spiritual Technology
The Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, incorporated in 1982, which owns all the copyrights of the estate of L. Ron Hubbard and licenses their use. CST does business as L. Ron Hubbard Library ...
"
undesirable organizations" after finding that they "pose a threat to the security of the Russian Federation."
See also
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Scientology status by country § Russia
*
Scientology and law § Russia
*
Religion in Russia
Religion in Russia is diverse, with Christianity, especially Russian Orthodoxy, being the most widely professed faith, but with significant minorities of non-religious people and adherents of other faiths. A 1997 law on religion recognises the ...
References
External links
Church of Scientology website in Russian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scientology In Russia
Religion in Russia
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...