Scientology requests UN investigate Germany for violating religious freedom
Scientology requests UN investigate Germany for violating religious freedom

Scientologists celebrate the 50th anniversary in Germany and request the UN to launch an investigation on Germany for violating their religious freedom.

Geneva/Munich, Sept 27th As Scientologists celebrate the 50th anniversary of the German Church of Scientology and its peaceful and fruitful social actions to the benefit of German society, the representative of the European Church requests the UN Human Rights Council to launch an investigation on Germany for violating their Freedom of Religion.

Founded in a villa in the south of Munich in 1970, the Scientology community quickly became the central institution for the entire German-speaking region. To this day, the Munich “Mother Community” is one of the larger organizations of its kind in Europe.

Initially based in Munich-Harlaching, the Church of Scientology needed larger premises by August 1972 and moved to the center of the city to Sendling on Lindwurmstrasse.  which soon became too small as well. In January 1982, it moved into its own building in Munich-Schwabing.

Speakers at the anniversary event emphasized the pioneering work of Scientologists from the first hour. It did not take long since its establishment in Germany, that some people in the government started to discriminate against a growing and socially involved community. Nonetheless, Scientologists did not stop the practice of their religion and continued their peaceful social endeavors such as their fight against drugs, their support of the Constitution, and the promotion of Human Rights.  In defending their religious freedom rights, they have won their recognition as a religious movement by dozens of German courts at various levels.

Veteran Scientologists that participated at the celebration emphasized that “spiritual freedom – despite the well-known resistance from established “vested interests” – could never be suppressed and that all such attempts were doomed to failure”.

In the week in which this celebration is taking place, Scientologists have not lost sight of the opportunity to continue their battle for Freedom of Religion or Belief. In this regard, Ivan Arjona, the European representative of the Church, and founder of the UN-recognized Foundation of the Church [Fundacion para la Mejora de la Vida, la Cultura y la Sociedad], took the issue to the 45th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Arjona stated last Thursday and last Friday at the HRC Session chaired by the President of the Human Rights Council, Ms. Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger (an Austrian lawyer and diplomat who has served as Austria´s representative to the United Nations and who now chairs the United Nations Human Rights Council since January 2020) that he

watch full statement here

invites Germany to celebrate this week the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Church of Scientology in their country, and so stop all discrimination and violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief by the authorities against Scientologists”.

Arjona also reminded the Germany representative to the UN that

Over the past three decades, dozens of German courts have condemned the actions of the government against Scientologists at different levels and recognized their rights as per Article 4 of their Constitution

and that

despite the decisions of their judicial powers, for practically 50 years the German executive powers continue to ignore these decisions, and have violated, and still violate today, the rights of this religious minority”.

The statement continues to remind Germany that Independence of Powers does not mean ignoring judicial decisions just to continue ostracizing the members of a minority religion and because of that, Arjona requested the Human Rights Council, to launch an investigation on Germany for violating the Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Scientologists say that German Churches of Scientology are probably the only religious community to have adopted a “Declaration of Principle for Human Rights and Democracy” and accepted it as part of their statutes.

Scientology was founded in 1952 by humanist and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard and opened its first Church in Germany in 1970 in Munich. There are today nine Churches of Scientology in Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Hannover, and Hamburg, along with numerous missions and smaller groups throughout the country.

Other mentions:

https://hrwf.eu/scientology-v-germany-50-years-of-legal-battles/

https://freedomofbelief.net/articles/scientology-v-germany-50-years-of-legal-battles

UN appoints new ECOSOC President
UN appoints new ECOSOC President

.@UNECOSOC has a new President: It is H.E. Mr. Munir Akram, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the @UN@PakistanPR_UN#UN75#GlobalGoals#SDGs#2030Agenda

23 July 2020UN Affairs

Now is the time to implement policies and commitments to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the new President of one of the UN’s main bodies said on Thursday.

Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan outlined his priorities for the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) as the UN marks its 75th anniversary amid the global economic and health crisis.

Challenging times

“The ECOSOC’s central mandate is to promote ‘better standards of life in larger freedoms’ through international economic cooperation. Never before has the fulfillment of this mandate been more challenging, or more imperative, as it is today,” he told a virtual ceremony.

Mr. Akram said the pandemic and associated global recession will make it difficult to realize the SDGs. The 17 goals provide a roadmap to a better future for all, by 2030.

Meanwhile, global warming is accelerating. He warned that unless countries meet agreed targets on climate change, the planet could become uninhabitable for all living things.

Simultaneous response needed

“The broad policy decisions to address each of these three simultaneous challenges have been taken. Commitments have been made. What is needed now is implementation”, said Mr. Akram.

“This should be the focus of our deliberations. And, since we need to respond simultaneously, there must be synergy between our responses to the health, development and climate challenges.”

Address rising inequality

The new ECOSOC President also wants countries to address rising inequality, both within and between nations.

“The legacy of colonialism, racism and foreign occupation is a major systemic cause of inequality”, he said.

“I will propose to the Council that we convene a special meeting in 2021 – the 20th Anniversary of the Durban Conference against Racism – to address the root causes of global inequality. Similarly, the 10th ECOSOC Youth Forum should be dedicated to promoting a vision of a more equal, peaceful, united and dynamic world order.”

Support developing nations

Mr. Akram also proposed that the Council should promote action on financing for COVID-19, the SDGs and climate action goals.

However, if the world is to “build back better” after the pandemic, he underlined the need for developing countries to have greater access to renewable energy and other sustainable infrastructure, as well as advanced technologies.

“The ECOSOC should help to build a coordinated approach to ensure the required capital flows to developing countries to recover from the current recession and revive the prospects of achieving the SDGs”, he said.

“In preparation for the annual Forum on Financing for Development next April, I intend to convene a few informal meetings and consultations to advance these objectives.”

New ECOSOC Bureau

This is the second time Mr. Akram has assumed the ECOSOC Presidency, having taken the helm in 2005.

Three Vice-Presidents have also been elected to serve alongside him on the ECOSOC Bureau, which proposes the Council’s agenda and devises a programme of work, among other duties.

They are Ambassador Collen Vixen Kelapile of Botswana, Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl of Switzerland, and Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya of Ukraine.

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‘Be ready to embrace change!’

Mr. Akram praised his predecessor, Mona Juul of Norway, for her leadership of the Council during what he described as “these extraordinary times”.

Ms. Juul in turn offered a few words of advice, having steered the Council through the initial phases of the pandemic, and at a time of global upheaval against racial injustice, the climate crisis and rising inequalities.

“Be ready to embrace change!”, she told Mr. Akram and the new Bureau. “Let us change for the better and make our recovery based upon values, not value. On compassion, courage, and cooperation.”

Although the pandemic is changing the world, Ms. Juul stressed it has not changed global commitment to realizing a better future for all.

She said now is the time to “fix the world’s fragilities”, from access to universal health coverage and quality education, to reversing environmental degradation, and power imbalances that disproportionally affect women and girls.

“To recover better, we must build forward. To a greener, fairer, more inclusive and more resilient tomorrow,” she said. “If we do not change now, then when?”

United Nations recognizes Scientology Foundation with Special Consultative to the ECOSOC
United Nations recognizes Scientology Foundation with Special Consultative to the ECOSOC

New NGO status empowers MEJORA, the Foundation for the Improvement of Life, Culture and Society, to add to accomplishing the objectives of the UN Economic and Social Council and the helpful points of the Scientology religion.

Mejora signifies “improvement” in Spanish, and Fundacion MEJORA is an adept name for the association that has quite recently accomplished Special Consultative Status to the United Nations. Its complete name is Fundacion MEJORA: Foundation for the Improvement of Life, Culture and Society, and MEJORA’s new NGO status furnishes the Church of Scientology with more prominent chance to contribute legitimately to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, one of the six head organs of the United Nations.

The Foundation MEJORA was established in 2015 by the Church of Scientology of Spain. It is enlisted in that nation’s National Registry of Foundations.

In its application to the UN, the establishment asserted its duty to:

“human improvement through regard for and perception of Universal Human Rights just as the utilization of fundamental beliefs, for example, human rights, balance, resilience, regard for human life, harmony, vote based system, and individual opportunity.”

The Foundation’s strategic to “protect, advance, educate and disperse Human Rights as remembered for the Spanish Constitution just as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other global agreements; to advance logical Scientology esteems and practices created by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard focused on progress of the individual and society, and to advance resistance in all parts of common society.”

At the European level, the Foundation is enlisted in the Transparency Register of the European Union. MEJORA has effectively taken an interest in the Faith and Freedom Summit NGO alliance, whose last occasion was held at the European Parliament in Brussels. MEJORA likewise takes an interest in various different activities, occasions, and gatherings in encouraging its strategic.

“to advance sober minded Scientology esteems and practices created by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard focused on progress of the individual and society, and to advance resilience in all parts of common society”

This year points MEJORA’s sixth yearly Religious Freedom Awards introduction, booked for September 6. Awardees remember researchers and unmistakable authorities dynamic for advancing and securing the opportunity of religion or conviction.

The UN Economic and Social Council is one of the six head organs of the United Nations. Built up in 1945 by the UN Charter, the ECOSOC is liable for the bearing and coordination of the financial, social, philanthropic, and social exercises did by the UN.

With this acknowledgment, the Foundation currently has official portrayal at the UN in Geneva, Vienna and New York, with the capacity to introduce composed and oral articulations to different organs, for example, the UN Human Rights Council, and to arrange meetings of its own inside the United Nations.