April 10, 2007

NEW YORK – Russian members of the fast-growing Scientology religion in the New York area joined with their comrades in celebrating an April 5th ruling of the European Court of Human Rights which confirmed their religious freedom in Russia, and for Scientologists throughout the 46 states of the Council of Europe.

"Scientology is a practical religion which has helped millions of people, in Russia and internationally, live lives of greater self-respect and happiness," said Ludmilla Kritchenko, a Scientologist living in Queens. "It is an example of the choices people should have in any free society."

In a unanimous decision, the ECHR overturned the Moscow City government's refusal to register the Church of Scientology of Moscow as a religious organization, saying that the Scientologists must be given the same rights as any other religion, including being able to form legal associations.

Russian Scientologists living abroad, from New York to Los Angeles, and Africa to China, joined in celebrating the victory, which was also praised by human rights advocates internationally.

"The persistence of the Church of Scientology is to be applauded in the face of nearly 10 years of outrageous harassment," said the Rev. N. J. L'Heureux Jr., Executive Director, Queens Federation of Churches, and Moderator of the Committee on Religious Liberty of the National Council of Churches. "Their victory will assure that other religious groups are not similarly mistreated."

The Scientology religion was founded by L. Ron Hubbard. The first church was established in the United States in 1954. It has grown to more than 7,500 churches, missions and groups and ten million members in 163 nations. The Russian Federation has more than 40 Scientology churches and missions from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok.

For more information about Scientology, see http://www.scientology-moscow.ru/ or http://www.scientology.org/.

For the EU Court's decision in full see: http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=7&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=&sessionid=12120893&skin=hudoc-en.

Church of Scientology New York