Switzerland: a trial against OSA and Mikael Rinder ?

Switzerland: Lawsuit counters a leading top scientologist Suzanne Montangero in Lausanne (10 May 2003)

The Church of scientology launches heavy accusations against the founder of an Association pretending to help scientology's victims (May 2003)

The Court of Lausanne condemned yesterday for slandering the president Suzanne Montangero (28 May 2003)

Two faxes from OSA chief to Jean-Luc Barbier (september 1988)

Geneva: Two Scientologists in Switzerland have been found guilty of slander (1997)

France-Paris: Ron Hubbard condemned to 4 years of jail for fraud (1979)

A Prosecutor speaks on cults - Cults scourge (From the book "MAIN BASSE SUR LA JUSTICE", M. Georges FENECH was the Prosecutor (Juge d'instruction) during the Scientology suit for homicide, fraud and extortion in Lyon. He is the well-known President of the A.P.M. (Association of Professionnal Magistrates) (1999)

"Main basse sur la justice" - Le fléau des sectes. (J.C. Lattès éditeur), M. Georges FENECH a été juge d'instruction du long procès contre la scientologie à Lyon (1989-1997). Il a été président de l'association Professionnelle des Magistrats, auteur du livre "Main Basse sur la Justice" dont est tiré ce passage. (1999)

LAWSUIT COUNTERS A LEADING TOP SCIENTOLOGIST

SUZANNE MONTANGERO IN LAUSANNE

 

10 May 2003 / PROCES CONTRE UN HAUT DIRIGEANT SCIENTOLOGUE - LAUSANNE

 

Press release / Rough online translation via altavista.com

 

LAUSANNE next 26 May with the Police court in Lausanne will be held a lawsuit directed against a high person in charge for the scientology.

 

This lawsuit is justified by the slanderings made in the Jurassic press against Jean-Luc BARBER, artist type-setter of the music of film "In the City Blanche"d' Alain Tanner, cofounder of the AMR (Association Music of Research - Geneva) and founder of the French-speaking Switzerland center Information-Sects and Association AVDS of assistance to the victims of the scientology.

 

For 10 years the scientology has tried to make pressures on Jean-Luc Barbier whereas it had to deposit felt sorry for with his expenses and to wait more than 10 years to be refunded of his courses of scientology. Courses of which it had been prevented from obtaining the diplomas, under pretext which it refused to affiliate its artistic activities with network WISE (World International Scientology Entreprise).

 

Since then, and with a constant harassing the scientology did not hesitate with: - to contact close relations of Mr. Barbier to ask to them whether it took drug and was violent with his/her children; - to write letters with the Administration to claim wrongfully that it hid values; - to contact its employees to require that they leave his company; - to deposit at least four penal complaints for pseudo-offences Moreover and extremely étrangement the cantonal administrations of the canton of Vaud and Were worth received more than one score of anonymous letters, always containing same the reproaches ...

 

Finally and undoubtedly to be opposed to the creation of a new Association, the scientology in a work of "black propaganda" showed Mr. Barbier publicly in the Jurassic Daily newspaper of blackmail, and insinuated that it had created the AVDS with a another aim that that to come to assistance of the victims !!! In fact the only wrong of this Swiss artist is to have left the scientology publicly and to testify within the limits to the freedom of expression which are those of any democratic country.

 

The scientology being a community continuously refusing to observe our rules and not accepting any reform in its centre cannot that to disappear Mr. Barbier says to us.

Source: The Scientology Raided main Index page

HARD BLOW FOR THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY

  

24 Hours, May 28, 2003, George-Marie Bécherraz

[Extracted] Press release / Rough online translation via altavista.com

The Court of Lausanne condemned yesterday for slandering the president Suzanne Montangero

 

Police court (...) the Church of scientology of Lausanne is not close digesting the verdict returned yesterday by Jean-Pascal Rodieux, first president of Trbunal of district. The magistrate has indeed condemned at the end one day of audience the president Suzanne Montangero to fifteen days of prison with deferment during two years for slandering. A sanction felt of as much more bitterly than it gives reason to a plaintiff who is one of the most savage enemies of the sect, its former Genevese follower Jean-Luc Barber.

 

The scientologists will have to pay 2'000.- swiss franks to him.- for moral wrong and him to pay costs with height of 6'000 swiss franks.

Severe reproaches

Tended environment, therefore, in Montbenon for a lawsuit putting on the bolster Suzanne Montangero, shown slandering sharply to have answered in February 2000 in an article announcing in  a Jurassic daily newspaper creation by Jean-Luc Barber of the Association of assistance to the victims of scientology (AVDS).

  

Morally constant by the presence in the courtroom of about thirty disciples, scientologist was defended by Me Jean Lob, large specialist in the humans right if it is.

 

Partially published in the Jurassic newspaper, the counterpart of Mrs. Montangero questioned probity of the AVDS, by affirming in particular that the purpose of its founder was to extort funds with the scientology. For Me Lob, it was perfectly normal that the Church of scientology reacts to this felt article as an attack. (...)

 

Assimilating these exchanges to political tournaments, it produced an underlining stop of the federal Court that the attack with the honor should be called upon here only with precaution,exchanged remarks often exceeding the thought of their author. The Council of Jean-Luc Barber, Me Charles Munoz has skilfully recalled that one does not show without evidence. "It is true for the enemies of scientology, and also for the scientologists. There is not the shade of an index for only saying this association was created to grow rich.»

The president chose a low and insidious manner whereas

as a president it should have given the example

In its judgement, Jean-Pascal Radieux did not chew his words to qualify the response of Suzanne Montangero. It estimates that its goal was not to be registered into false against a description scientology, but that she wanted to regulate her account with Jean-Luc Barbier by making it pass for an individual méprisable. "It chose a low and insidious manner whereas as president it should have given the example. In any event, even if the article had been defamatory, nothing authorized it to counteract on the same ground."

 

For the faithful ones of Ron Hubbard, "the court protected a person openly inclined with to destroy the Church of scientology and to cause a maximum of problems to its members ". They plan right now to deposit a recourse. When well even the written very detailed judgement by judge Rodieux seems a frightening construction difficult to reverse.

 

Note: In Court of Appeal this judgement against Mrs. Suzanne Montangero was confirmed.

 

 Once again,

 

Jean-Luc Barbier, who has been a scientologist for almost ten years (1979-1989),

could now be once again in position to complain for defamation

by the scientology director of Lausanne (Switzerland)

Indeed, the newspaper could pass on its pages the last effort of Suzanne Montangero (recently sentenced to 10 days suspended jail for similar defamation against another critic, François Lavergnat), which says: "Blackmail or sincere help ?

The church of scientology launches heavy accusations against the founder of an association pretending to help scientology's victims. It accuses him of attempts to extort money from the church by publishing false informations, as shown by the menaces already proferred against the church.

Years along, J-L. Barbier harrassed the church , so as to obtain no less than a seven digits figure amount in exchange of his silence. He would then have ceased to profer his false informations and would have informed the public positively on scientology.

He complained before justice, that complaint having ended into the federal court without himself getting what he wanted.

Some years ago, J-L. Barbier , then in the Vaud's canton, had already created a group against scientology. This activity having been bankrupt, abandoned some unpaid debitors. Is is possible that he left the canton for that motive ?

The fact that M. Barbier is creating a similar group in the Jura, a canton where no group or scientology activity exists, is quite strange. And could demonstrate what are his motivations.

It is certain that the church of scientology will not let such actions without reactions. It'll continue to disclose the hate campaigns of J-L Barbier , who is trying to "sell" continuously his story. J-L. Barbier is the illustration of the fact that behind his "struggle against cults", many other interests are often acting, one of them being to get money."

************

Now the story:

 

JL Barbier left scientology since years; both himself and hiswife complained, as he had been bankrupted by scientology when he refused to put his small company under WISE management and franchising. He has lost his ability to play professionnaly saxophon because he was desabilitated by a side-effect in the larynx.

 

Before the Federal Court was able to terminate the ruling, scientology, after years of Dead Agenting and other attacks against him, had paid a part of the sums** they should have refunded to both him and his wife. But Flag did not pay its part.

 

Therefore, Jean-Luc is now attacking under civil justice to get a rent or a payment for his disability, and for the various damages he got from the scientology handlings.

The last efforts from scienos to defame him could very well send Montangero the scieno puppet into jail, unsuspended this time.

 

** The Court considered that he had gotten enough, ignoring part of the folder, and not having the whole story, as far as I know, so, it terminated the suit before a ruling.

    www.anti-scientologie.ch / index of the English texts

Two Scientologists in Switzerland have been found guilty of slander

 

Journal de Geneve and Tribune de Genève (1997)

 

"Two members of the Church of scientology were found guilty of slandering Francois Lavergnat and his association, the Grouping for the protection of the family and individual (GPFI).

 

The interested parties, who had accused in detail the plaintiff of being a dangerous character molesting his family and having taken part in crimes, were sentenced to one month of delayed jail and fines of 3000 and 5000 francs [$2000 and $3300].

 

"For their defense, the scientologists had affirmed to have said only the truth, in a concern of informing the public on the real personality of their opponent.

 

The Court had a different opinion. The judgement underlines the will to harm of the defendants, who had no other reason than the will to get rid of an opponent who disturbs them. The allegations, which mainly concerned the private life of the plaintiff, are a 'get-even scheme' applied to an anticult activist. 'The right to defend oneself has a limit which the defendants trespassed with their remarks', adds the court, refusing to grant them the possibility to prove their allegations or to show their good faith."

 

"In the Police court (TP), last 5 February, the disciples of Ron Hubbard had affirmed they could prove their charges. Namely that the president of the GPFI was 'a sower of trouble, a swindler and an ammunition smuggler'. Worse, scientologist newspapers wrote that Francois Lavergnat had threatened children with a revolver.

 

"In its judgement, the court notes that B. and P. acted 'with conscience and will', particulary by distributing pamphlets containing information damaging the honor of Francois Lavergnat."

 

More details in french here

A Prosecutor speaks on cults

(From the book "MAIN BASSE SUR LA JUSTICE",

J.C. Lattès éditeur, isbn 2-7096-1773-0)

 

Cults scourge

M. GEORGES FENECH was the Prosecutor (Juge d'instruction) during the Scientology suit for homicide, fraud and extortion in Lyon. He is the well-known President of the A.P.M. (association of Professionnal Magistrates).

 

The judges are facing the terrorism alone; they are also alone facing this new scourge, at least regarding its size, called sects/cults. Having had myself to lead the investigations for the "scientology church" suit, i've been able to estimate the difficulties of that task.

 

1990, July.

 

Tenths of ex-adepts from scientology came to speak to me, asking from Justice those hearings elsewhere missing.  Overcome by dizziness, I 'm discovering the sides of a secret world with its language, rites, and codes. I'm questioning around me, and finding the doors closing : in the Medical Order (Conseil des Médecins), I found few enthousiasm to take any position regarding possible illegal medicine exercize; in the Cults Office of the Interior Dept, people explain that some measures can be undertaken, but only after a Justice's ruling.

 

Wise prudency from everywhere: I'll have to avoid everything : The SRPJ (state police) policemen in Lyon heve been accused of "hold-up"[by scientologists]; the psychiatrist expert Jean-Marie ABGRALL is sued everywhere in France (the responsible scientologists will nevertheless be sentenced up to 18 months deferred jail plus some 10000 $ amends) ; I am sued myself in two cases in Switzerland, plus some thirty suits for "having broken the prosecution's secret", whatever in Lyon or Paris; and more, submitted to a "request for reasonable suspiscion" in the Cassation's Court criminal Room, not forgetting to mention the attentive watch from the ex-Presidential [well-know] gendarme now used to be a private detective, or the thousands of advices on my Fax machine, ordering me to "stop my inquisitorial works".

 

To which must be added the protest concert undertaken by scientology stars, such as the singer Julia Migenes Johnson and the actor Xavier Deluc, both will come to come to Lyon; and the sordid machination from a "F-10" agent working into the Power's spheres.

 

After a true assault course, i was finally able to put an end to the instruction steps in July 1994. Two years will be though needed to get to hearings: inbetween, the tragedy of the OTS [solar temple] in the Vercors has existed, and the Justice Minister, Jacques TOUBON, has had to give written instructions to the Courts. Waiting one year more would have stopped the entire process, prescription time being over.[True enough, the Lyon courts were then on the political affairs of M. Noir, Botton, Mouillot and Carignon].

On October 8th, 1996, after 8 days hearings, the defenders attorney, Me Maisonneuve, said on TV: "I 'm questio- ning myself to know if in that suit, the Judge did not took himself for the legislator". This is a serious issue. On one side, it's not useful to hide it: the government has never studied completely the sects/cults problem, though some politicians ( such as the deputies Alain Vivien in 85 and Alain Gest in 1995) were able to expose courageously some remarkable reports. Prime Minister's will to act never appeared, as underlined in the report from the Commission d'Enquète, showing some delay in the informations transit...

 

This timidity is less understandable when considering that the general police estimates that 160000 persons are occasionaly adepts, and 100000 are friends of those sectarian groups. As said Claude Pinollet, the then USM preident, on October 19th, 1996, after having analyzed the confidence crisis in our country, and observed that the frenchies are more and more often coming to Justice's rulings: "Our Country, a State of Right, should not become a litigant society: judicial power is no panacea." I agree to that. This is also meeting the Alain Vivien opinion according to whom "It is not needed to create a special legislation, because it could make sects/cults to appear as martyrs. Our law texts is enough: Could we simply use it ?"

 

Sects/cults are a real scourge and the answer to this scourge cannot be only a legal one: political authorities need also to engage in social methods. 

 

---

"MAIN BASSE SUR LA JUSTICE"

 

Le fléau des sectes

J.C. Lattès éditeur, isbn 2-7096-1773-0

 

M. Georges FENECH a été juge d'instruction du long procès contre la scientologie à Lyon (1989-1997). Il a été président de l'association Professionnelle des Magistrats, auteur du livre "Main Basse sur la Justice" dont est tiré ce passage.

 

(pages 266 à 268 de "Main Basse sur la Justice")

 

Les juges se retrouvent seuls face au terrorisme, its le sont aussi face à ce nouveau fléau, au moins en amplitude, que représentent les sectes Ayant eu moi-même a instruire le dossier de "l'Eglise de scientologie ", j'ai pu éprouver toutes les difficultés de cette tâche.

 

Juillet 1990.

Des dizaines d'adeptes repentis de la scientologie viennent me trouver, réclamant de la Justice l'écoute qui leur fait défaut ailleurs. Pris de vertige, je découvre les arcanes d'un monde secret avec ses codes, son langage, ses rites. J'interroge autour de moi et vois les portes se refermer une à une . au conseil de l'Ordre des Médecins, l'on est peu.enclin à se prononcer sur d' éventuels exercices illégaux de la médecine; au bureau des cultes du ministère de l'Intérieur, l'on me fait comprendre que d' éventuelles mesures pourraient être prises, mais après que la Justice se sera prononcée.

 

Sage prudence des uns et des autres: rien, en effet, ne me sera épargné; les policiers du S.R.P.J. de Lyon accusés de hold-up; l'expert-psychiatre Jean-Marie Abgrall, traîné devant toutes les juridictions de France et deNavarre [Pour ces faits, leurs responsables seront condamnés le 11 octobre 1996 par le tribunal correctionnel de Toulon à des peines allant jusqu'à 18 mois d'emprisonnement avec sursis et 50'000 F d'amende.]; moi-même gratifié de deux procès en Suisse, d'une trentaine de plaintes pour atteinte à la liberté ainsi que violation du secret de l'instruction tant à Lyon qu'à Paris, avec, en prime, une requête en suspicion légitime devant la chambre criminelle de la cour de Cassation, sans compter la surveillance attentive d' un ancien membre des "gendarmes de l'Elysée" reconverti comme détective privé ou les milliers de recommandations arrivées sur mon télécopieur m'intimant de cesser mon oeuvre "inquisitoriale".

 

A quoi s'ajouteront le concert de protestations des "apôtres" célèbres - la cantatrice Julia Migenes Johnson et le comédien Xavier Deluc feront le voyage de Lyon, ainsi que, semble-t'il, un sordide complot ourdi par un mystérieux agent F10 gravitant dans les sphères du pouvoir [Selon L'Evènement du Jeudi et Serge Faubert, Une secte au coeur de laRépublique, ed. Calmann-Uvy, 1993].

 

Au terme d'un véritable parcours du combattant, je finis tant bien que mal par clôturer mon instruction en juillet 1994. Il faudra attendre encore deux années avant que l'affaire ne soit audiencée. Entretemps s'est déroulé, dans le Vercors, l'horrible drame de l'Ordre du Temple solaire, et le garde des Sceaux, Jacques Toubon, a dû adresser des instructions écrites au parquet.

 

A ce rythme, un an de plus et la prescription aurait été acquise [Il est vrai que la magistrature lyonnaise était fort accaparée par les affaires Noir, Botton, Mouillot, Carignon]

 

Le 8 octobre 1996, à l'issue de huit journées d'audience, l'un des avocats de la défense, maître Maisonneuve, déclare à la télévision "Je me demande si, dans cette affaire, le juge ne s'est pas substitué au législateur." La remarque est grave.

 

En un sens, it est inutile de se voiler la face: les pouvoirs publics n' ont jamais abordé de front le problème des sectes même si des hommes politiques tels que les députés A. Vivien en 1985 et A. Gest [dont le message d'encouragement, le 24 Janvier 1996, me fit un grand bien: qu'il en soit ici remercié] en 1995 ont su courageusement lever le voile à l' occasion de rapports remarquables."

 

Place Vendôme, la volonté d'agir n' est pas apparue d'emblée, comme le souligne le rapport de la commission d' enquête accusant un certain retard dans la transmission même des informations [En date du 22 Décembre 1995]. Cette frilosité est d'autant moins compréhensible que les R.G. évaluent à 160 000 adeptes au moins occasionnels et 100 000 sympathisants le nombre de nos concitoyens mêlés aux groupes sectaires.

 

Comme le notait Claude Pernollet, le président de l'US.M., le 19 octobre 1996, après avoir analysé la crise de confiance qui règne dans le pays et le fait que les Français se tournent de plus en plus vers la Justice: "Notre pays, état de droit, ne doit pas devenir une société contentieuse pour autant, le front judiciaire n'est pas une panacée." Je m'accorde avec sa pensée.

 

Elle fait d'ailleurs, pour moi, écho au point de vue de M. Vivien selon lequel "Il ne faut pas créer de législation parti- culière au risque de faire apparaître les sectes pour des martyrs. L'arsenal dont nous disposons est tout à fait suffisant. Ne suffit-il pas de l'appliquer" [le Figaro, 24 Avril 1992]

 

Les sectes sont bien un fléau et la réponse à celui-ci ne peut être simplement judiciaire; il y faut aussi une volonté sociétale politique.