Thank you, Mr. Chairman on behalf of the Raelian Movement for this opportunity.

We have transmitted to you in the past our concerns about discrimination in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada elsewhere against the Raelian Movement as we are not only different but outspoken in our beliefs. Also because we have challenged the criminality including sexual abuse of children and money laundering by the Catholic Church’s entities, our members have suffered greatly. We hope this declaration will serve as a useful resource for delegations and the OSCE Secretariat not only about the Raelian Movement but for other new and aspiring groups that bring people together for personal and spiritual development.

There are both admirable protections for, and the unjust violations of, religious
freedom across the globe. Throughout the OSCE region, there are concerns regarding increasing restrictions on religious expression and the justification of restrictions due to national security concerns. In numerous countries, the administration and requirement of formal registration obstructs the activity of certain religious groups. The Raelian Movement has been targeted by the governments of Switzerland, Belgium, France and more recently the United Kingdom and European Court of Human Rights.

The old blood libels and calumnies spread in France and Belgium by the government and Catholic Church have born their evil fruit this year in the European Court of Human Rights. In a majority opinion under the auspices of President Judge Nicholas Bratza, the Grand Chamber has found Switzerland may violate our rights of expression and religion based on lies and unfounded allegations spread by the French government about our organization and its prophet, Rael.

In the United Kingdom, during the visit of the Vatican City ruler Benedict to that country in 2010, the Raelian Movement was the only organization to file a lawsuit against the Pope in regards to his sexual crimes against children and his spreading superstitions against condoms that prevent AIDS. The lawsuit was accepted by the High Court but then quickly interdicted. We discovered through a Freedom of Information Act request that this was part of a policy by the United Kingdom Cabinet to prevent legal action against the Pope during his visit there. We are now seeking access to the documents on that policy which the UK Cabinet is withholding from us.

The aforementioned Judge Nicholas Bratza, the man behind the ridiculous European Court of Human Rights ruling, is not only an English jurist but a devout Catholic and confidant of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Westminster. The connections here are obvious. The Catholic Church and French government have been permitted to pervert the course of justice in London and Strasbourg and trample on freedom of religion and expression.

Thus the Raelian Movement is attacked by governments, reviled by the Catholic Church and now assailed by European institutions unduly influenced by the former. We hope for the opportunity to collaborate on initiatives that improve religious freedom and promote religious tolerance not just for the Raelian Movement but for others. But we should be equally wary of efforts to criminalize statements or publications deemed offensive to a particular religion like the Catholic Church or Muslim creed which have a long history of intolerance in conjunction with their state partners.

Through our human rights and legal arm, our work in international fora, and our ongoing engagement with NGOs, religious groups, civil society leaders, and scholars, will continue to actively promote religious freedom for all as essential to human dignity, a robust civil society, and production of positive social capital.

Of greatest concern to us is the recent decision by the European Court of Human Rights to uphold the restrictions of the Swiss government upon the Raelian Movement and which implicitly endorse French restrictions of the same type based on rumour, falsehood and innuendo.
It is our hope that the OSCE will encourage existing religious freedom movements in the OSCE Region while guarding against abuses and promotes dialogue among governments and within societies on how best to accommodate religious communities and protect each individual’s right to religious freedom from governments, other established religions, and misguided European institutions.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.