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Church of Scientology files complaint against France's anti-sect law
The Associated Press
8/9/01 11:39 AM
PARIS (AP) -- The Church of Scientology said Thursday it had filed a
complaint with the European Court of Human Rights against a new French law
cracking down on religious sects.
"Thousands of believers face the prospect of heavy fines and prison
sentences
simply because of their religious affiliation or because they exercise their
right to freedom of association," said a statement from the Scientologists'
Paris office. The church is based in Los Angeles.
The law approved May 30 significantly increases France's judicial arsenal
against religious sects.
In its statement, the Church of Scientology said the law was "an obvious
attempt to eradicate religious minorities in France" and urged the court in
Strasbourg, France, to declare the measure in violation of the European
Convention on Human Rights. The complaint was filed Wednesday.
France's law was a direct response to sects such as the Order of the Solar
Temple, a group that lost 58 members in mass suicides in Switzerland and
Canada between 1994 and 1997.
Under the new law, the judiciary can disband sects charged with committing
abuses. The legislation also allows for stiffer punishments against sect
leaders.
The law was fiercely opposed by the Church of Scientology, which says it has
more than 30,000 members in France.