Translation of a French article posted on Feb. 3, 2012 on the website of weekly Belgian magazine Le Vif/L'Express: Link to article: Scientologie: deux affaires toujours en cours d'instruction en Belgique
If you are thinking this..... then you should really be thinking this.... It is now in its 15th year since the original raids and everytime there is some promising sounding advance then something else happens .... or just simply nothing happens. Even the 4 years from the later 2008 raids is still a long time to wait. I understand that the justice system is notoriously slow in Belgium but this really takes the piss. It's been so long ago I'd forgotten. In a nutshell..... The 2008 raids: "The public prosecutor's office claimed that the organisation was involved in fraud, blackmail of members and illegal medical practises" The original 1997 raids: The prosecutor stated that Scientology's Brussels-based Europe office and its Belgian missions conducted unlawful practices in medicine, violated privacy laws and used illegal business contracts. The twelve people formally charged were also accussed of fraud, extortion, and forming a criminal organization. ref: http://ocmb.xenu.net/ocmb/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=30612 Search OCMB forum on "Belgium" limiting the search to topic titles and that will give you some of the timeline of events without too much chaff, or search xenu-directory library for media stories with a Belgium filter: http://www.xenu-directory.net/news/library.php?t=belgium
Now that Scientology knows that they can reset the clock, they'll just commit another offense every four years.
Try not to lose heart, Sponge. A lot HAS happened - in France, Australia, Germany - to name a few places. Australia is also still in progress legally with its requirements for charitable organizations. It takes a very long time to change public perception and thereby change politicians' perceptions - and we know Scn has deep pockets, but things HAVE changed. Two years ago, even on exScn, the majority did not even believe my stories. Now there are so many similar stories and publications about COS and Scn that mine just complement the many already out there. Most people now know Scientology is a dangerous scam. That's huge. In time, laws everywhere will reflect this. Don't ever stop your media blitzes. Most of the most dedicated Scns supporting the show are old-timers, with some 2nd geners but not a lot - and most of those can barely spell so not good examples to the outside world. DM will die, too. Maybe we all need to just pace ourselves. I certainly do. There are no words great enough to thank you and every other Anon who has helped and especially those who continue to help through this long, long battle. Aside from that, without you, I and many other fully-out ex's would never have had the full outside perspective of Scn that I needed so badly for my own peace of mind. That alone is priceless, but you gave the ex's heart and courage. It is you who helped us come forward and you who are objective enough to work out legal and other tactics, research, organize protests. I applaud you. I thank you, I respect you, admire you and love you. Keep stabbing with your steely knives. The beast WILL DIE.
Thanks for the translation! Humanitarian - they use this word a lot. I do not think it means what they think it means. Best Regards Jens
I know huh? In September 2009 I had close to a two hour brunch with four top prosecutors from Belgium and spoke almost the whole time about scientology fraud and other related matters. They attended the "This is Scientology" meetings in Hamberg and, as I posted back then, they did not go all the way there for the cornflakes. Rather they told me they were very serious about prosecuting what they saw as crimes in organized scientology. It seems like a long time since then (almost 2 1/2 years) but in the bigger picture in Belgium I guess it is not that long. BTW one of the things I explained to them is that no matter how many local scientology staff they prosecuted, others would follow in their footsteps and commit the same kind of crimes as all that was being run from the USA, ultimately by David Miscavige. I gave them my two cents that they needed to work out how to prosecute Miscavige as well by piercing corporate and other veils. The truth is Miscavige runs the Belgium people who are committing the crimes and the companies through which they committ them. I don't know that anything will come of this but I have hope that more justice can be had here. Perhaps Miscavige will get a nice surprise if he steps foot in Belgium. Or is this just another country he dare not visit? Justice is indeed slow but perchance the noose is tightening. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But maybe not
