November 17, 2017

To: My Friends

Anastasia, Constancia, Galina, Ivan and Sahib!

Know that we are with you. Not a day goes by when I am not thinking
of you.

Freedom is the goal of all Mankind. Freedom, Total Freedom, is what

Scientology stands for. In the Prayer for Total Freedomthe central prayer
of Scientologyour Founder wrote:

At this time, we think of those whose liberty is threatened; of those

who have suffered imprisonment for their beliefs; of those who are
enslaved or martyred.

Today our prayers are with you.

We are a new religion. And as with all religions through the ages, we
have been unjustly attacked in our formative years.

But do not forget: Falsehood must become exposed by the truth, and
truth, though fought, always in the end prevails.

To say that Scientologists engage in extremism is absurd. We are the

opposite of extremists. Indeed, there has never been a less extremist religion in
all of Mans history. As you know, we fight no wars, we respect those of other
faiths and in human living we work day-in and day-out to help resolve
conflicts of others.
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But as we have discovered time and time again, false reports about us
and our religion are the source of these unjust attacks.

However, please do not become distraught. It is unfortunate the people

in government are given false reports by ill-intentioned people. It is not the
first time it has happened to us. But do not forget we and our people have
been vindicated in every instance.

What is being falsely said about you today was said about Scientologists
in Australia in the 1960s. There it resulted in a Parliamentary Inquiry! The
result? We challenged and exposed the falsehoods in the courts and emerged
victorious with a landmark decision by the Supreme Court. That court
decision is, today, the precedential ruling on the very definition of religion and
charity in Australia. And it is the court decision now used by the government
to judge other religions and charities.

In Spain, anti-Scientologists gave false reports to the police who, relying

on those false reports, raided our Church with machine guns and imprisoned
top officials of our International Church. Again, no matter the suppressive
circumstances, we prevailed. All charges were ruled as unfounded and both
our Church and officials were Absolved without reservation. The courts then
ordered the government to enter us in the official rolls of the Religious
Ministry!

The same happened in Italy. Based on false reports of anti-Scientologists,

our Churches, every one, were raided and shut down. Again, we had to
expose the falsehoods. The Result? Full exoneration and, again, a precedent-
setting court decision for all of Italy. Italys highest court ruled our activities
and donations to be more fair than the Catholic Church!

Then there was the discrimination we suffered in England, once again,

based on false reports. But after exposing those falsehoods with the truth, in
2013 no less than the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously in our favor with
full religious recognition of Scientology!

Even more recently, there was Belgium, where authorities listened to

false reports from so-called anti-sect authorities, raiding our Church
multiple times over a ten-year period. When that case finally went to trial, in
2016, the Judge, after hearing all evidence, not only dismissed all charges,
but also reprimanded the government for their misconduct in listening to such
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obvious and blatant false reports about us. The false reports were the very
same being made about you today. And yet, just last year, they were, once
again, utterly disproven.

Finally, of course, there is the United States. After 40 years of false

reportsin fact, the source of these false reportswe disproved them all with
a landmark decision recognizing every one of our Churches and humanitarian
activities as exclusively charitable.

So, remember, we have been through religious persecution before. And

while this history does not alleviate your situation and the suffering you are
experiencing, it does demonstrate that in the end truth can and does prevail.

And please know: There are many people, world-over, working to

overcome this injustice to you.

_______________

I call on Russia to engage in dialogue. Russia must know this history.

No doubt those responsible for violating your rights have also been given
false reports about you. The fact is, they are being given the same false reports
we have disproven in court after court, country after country. Whoever is
making these false reports has not told them the truth as to this history.

Russian authorities can understand this. After all, how many falsehoods
are spread about Russia itself by the very same media that has spread
falsehoods about us?

Russia is a great country with a great future. The Church of Scientology

and Scientologists in countries all over the world have always aspired to, and
will continue to strive for, a contribution to the well-being of Russians in close
cooperation with Russian authorities.

As you well know from me, personally, we wish nothing but a

flourishing and prospering Russia.

The fight against drug addiction and crime, the instillation of morality in
society and assistance of victims in natural disasters are just a few examples of
the benefits that Scientologists bring to more than 165 countries.
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Moreover, Russia has real enemies, but they are not us. As you know,
our moral code mandates we Respect the Religious Beliefs of Others AND that
we Support a Government Designed and Run for All the People.

We do not engage in wrongdoing and, to reiterate, the falsehoods said

about you today are the very same falsehoods said about us in earlier years
and for which we have already, repeatedly disproven in the highest courts of
every land where those falsehoods were said.

Allegations of extremism may apply to others, but certainly not us.

Unlike other world religions, all who have fought wars and engaged in
violence, Scientology has always been a religion of peace. Moreover, we have
always strived to be part of Russian society in action and deed. We are not a
closed group, our doors are open to everyone and we are known world-over
for our cooperative relationships with every religion and government.

I reiterate: We are Russias friends. And once again, I call on the Russian
authorities to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Church of Scientology
and to release our members who are deprived of their freedom solely because
of their religious beliefs and false reports and interpretations of those beliefs.

I am convinced that we can forge a new future together with dialogue,

cooperation, and mutual help!

Your friend,