Church of Scientology Reply to the German Government’s Defense of its Discrimination
For further information contact:
Leisa Goodman
(323) 960-3500
e-mail: humanrightsofficer@scientology.org
Church of Scientology Reply to the German Government’s Defense of its Discrimination
* That same month, the U.S. delegation at the Warsaw conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticized the German government’s policy of minority religious discrimination and expressed concern that a Bundestag Commission investigating minority religions could effectively blacklist targetted groups.
* In September 1997, during hearings into religious intolerance in Europe held by the Helsinki Commission in Washington, D.C., a wide range of minority religions testified about a policy and pattern of government discrimination. German members of the Church of Scientology described how they had been denied employment solely because of their religious affiliation.
* In November 1996, the United Nations Human Rights Committee overseeing Germany’s compliance with its human rights obligations expressed concern that in some German states, membership in religious minorities disqualifies individuals from employment in the public service, in contravention of the rights guaranteed in Articles 18 and 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Committee also urged that the German state “discontinue the holding of ’sensitizing’ sessions for judges against the practices of” designated religious minorities.
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For further information contact:
Leisa Goodman
(323) 960-3500
e-mail: humanrightsofficer@scientology.org