From: jensting@imaginet.fr (Jens Tingleff) Subject: LYON TRIAL French Press reports 7/10 8/10 [Xenu] Date: 1996/10/08 Message-ID: organization: ARSCC Operation Clean the Planet newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology [Summary/piecemeal translation of article of the day in connection with the trial in Lyon of 23 clams. From Liberation, liberal/leftish French daily French original in single quotes. Comments/unclear points in square brackets. Apologies for my French, gotta get a dictionary one of these days... For 'sect' you may want to read 'cult'. Copyrights stated as being Liberation, by default (i.e. there are no explicit copyright notices with the articles] On Monday, there was just a small mentioing of a rally by teh clams, attended by clams from all over Europe, featuring bloac/whites clam "ministers". Tuesday was the summing up by the prosecutor after the statements ['plaidoires'] from the civil parties. Just one article, but the longest yest (i.e. no general-interest article to take up space), taking up 2/3 page 'Juger "un fait de societe majeur"' Judge a fact of the majority of society bernarf Fromentien Liberation, 8/10 -96, page 14 Copyright 1996 Liberation [Picture of Nelly Vic and Henri Llacer her layqer] ======================================================================= The prosecutor [referred to in Saturday's report as the 'minister de public'] demanded three years of prison ['trois and de prison avec sursis'] and a fine of 500000FFR for the former leader of scientology in Lyon, Jean-Jacques Mazier. J-J Mazier is accused of 'atteinte involontaire a la vie d'atrui' [ which I've translated as manslaughter]. He is accused of bein gthe cuase of the suicide in 1988 of Patrice Vic of an adherent of the sect. The charge should, in the opinion of Mr Richard be altered to 'homocide involontaire' [this could well be the actual charge of manslaughter, i.e. I might have mistranslated; too bad]. The prosucutor also asked for two years imprisonment for Daniele Gounord, president of the church in Paris, charged with complicity to fraud 'complicite d'escrquerie'. The same charge is brought against Jean-Paul Chapellet, charged as being responsible for OSA. The prosecutor asked for 18 months of prison and a fine of 50000FFR for father ['pere'] Jean-Louis Brolles, same motive. Against the other accused, Mr Richard asked for prison sentences ranging from six to 18 months. He asked for the clemency ['l'indulgence'] of the court in the case of Mohamed Ounis, former treasurer in the organisation. Thierry Richard discoursed for three hours without deviating from his stated goal of showing "that this affair has a powerful pedagogical value and constitutes the facts as the majority of society seems them ['constitute un fait de societe majeur']." Focussed ['Arc-boutee'] on the facts of the case, he nevertheless placed his investigation in a "frame of reference of the necessary comprehension of the activity of a sectarian business, commercial and dangerous ['dans le cadre de la necessaire comprehension de l'activite d'une entreprise sectaire, commerciale et dangereuse']." Repeating the conclusion of the exprets on these three points, Richard characterised the financing of the sect as a "money-pump, always pushing out never putting back." He also produced a document from OSA Int, the secret police of the sect. Its 31 "executive directives" dated 20 July 1990 addressed to the French branch, firmly demanded that an "absolute priority" was made of "turning the situation around by launching a jurisdictional offensive" accompagnied by a "programme of investigations in France" against former adherent, judges [!!] and journalists. The request followed the pleads ['plaidoires'] of the civil parties. In their name, Henri Llacer stated that he "intended to stay clear of the terrain where the accused have tried to place the debate." The laywer held strictly to facts, with constant reference to the experiences of approx. 30 victims, of which onl five refused to withdraw their plead, in spite of the propositions of scientologists "banktolling their retirement, in the grand mafia tradition of buying silence." He attempted to demonstrate that J-J Mazier had a strong responsibilty for the suicide of Patrice Vic. The leader of the Lyon org, he reminded the court, had gone to Patrice Vic's house on the 24th Jan 1988 to convince Nelly Vic of the soundness of a 30000 FFR loan necessary for a "purification cure." Mazier had put in placethe conditions of Patrice Vic's breakdown ['decheance'] by encouraging the developement in the heart of his org in Lyon of methods conducting the subjects into a state of infantility and dependency." Nelly Vi'c layqer viewed these acts as "proof of a summation of factors establishing a link from cause to effect from the suicide of the adherent to the acts of the accused." When his turn came, Jean-Michel Pesenti [another laywer] denied the "heresy trial" claimed by the accused, demonstrating, aided by choice morcels, how "the individual is [..] manipulated [..] by this war machine ['comment l'individu est happee, manipulee puis broyee par cette machine de guerre']." He cited in his demonstration writings by the founder, and exhibited internal bulletins, messages defining methods, marketing techniques, campaings of "black PR" to be used against adversaries. This demonstration had the merrit of casting light over the numerous shadowy areas left by the angelic declarations of the accused. The only anlysis of the questions ['questions lancinantes'] of "auditing" session intended to shape the adherent, gave a profile of the scientology future. Homosexuality, communism, defence of contraception or interracial love, were treated as faults to be fixed ['reperes comme etants des fares']. Today, the defense will try to demonstrate that their cilents are first of all men and women motivated by the belief they claim to be a "new religion." ======================================================================= Comments: wow, gloves OFF! I'm impressed that they've charged both the head of the Paris church and the head of OSA as acomplishes. [So, I didn't manage to pick this up from the previous reports - I thought that Ms Gounord appeared alongside the locals in a show of sympathy, turns out she has a much better reason for being there ;-)]. The OSA Int document demanding a counter-offensive is quite interesting. While the report doesn't say whether this order advocated any illegal activities, the fair-gaming comes into perspective. Unless the defense pulls themselves together (and goes against everything their expert witnesses went on about last week), it souds like they are going to harp on some more about hw they really, REALLY< believe that theyre a religion. Somehow, I don't see this defense as being really effective ;-) Later Jens ------ No PGP signature, no authenticity. Vive La France!! ---------- Scientology[tm] ?? Check it out at http://www.scientology.org *and* http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/scientology/home.html Report interesting conclusions to alt.religion.scientology ;-)