Leah Remini Calls Obstructing Justice ‘Absolute Law of Scientology’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Actress and former Scientologist Leah Remini and Mike Rinder, a former Scientology senior executive, weighed in on Scientologist Danny Masterson’s recent sentencing for rape charges.
“His trial became not only a referendum on his own actions, but also on the culture of the Church of Scientology, as Masteron’s accusers claimed that the organization suppressed their stories to protect him,” AV Club reported.
“Rolling Stone reported ‘witnesses testified at the trial that Scientology has an expressly written doctrine that not only discourages but prohibits its members from reporting one another to law enforcement,’” CNN’s Jake Tapper said.
Remini confirmed this. “It’s absolutely law. It’s absolutely policy of Scientology. I was a Scientologist most of my life.” She said, “…Scientology has a history of doing this as part of their policy, as part of their practices.”
The Church of Scientology announced the opposite in a statement: “The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone—Scientologists or not—to law enforcement. Quite the opposite, Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land. All allegations to the contrary are totally FALSE.”
Rinder explained, “That’s just a blatant lie…The policy is very clear. It is written by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology. All scientologists are bound to follow that policy. And in fact, it is deemed in scientology a high crime to report to civil authorities the activities of a scientologist.”
“Over the past seven decades, former Scientologists have become used to Scientology using its financial resources, religious protection and relationships to snatch justice away from them,” Remini wrote on Instagram.
“Scientology managed to cover up Danny’s crimes with the help of its intelligence agency, the Office of Special Affairs, top ‘church’ officials…its network of media-hungry unethical attorneys, private investigators, agents and civilian Scientologists,” the actress added.
“I will always remind the public that in Scientology if you report another Scientologist to law enforcement, you are committing a high crime,” she explained. “The consequences of such a high crime are devastating: you will lose everything you’ve ever known, from your family to your friends to your job.”
The Guardian deemed the organization “notoriously secretive,” and Remini, Rinder and others have said that it operates under unusual rules, liberties and discipline for its members.
Masterson has been found guilty of two counts of rape and was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.
Movieguide® previously reported on Remini’s lawsuit against the Church of Scientology:
Leah Remini, actress and outspoken activist against Scientology, has filed a lawsuit for defamation, harassment, surveillance and other unlawful behaviors that resulted in “psychological torture” against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige.
Remini became a part of the church as a child in 1979 and left in 2013 due to ‘mob-style operations and attacks’ [that] have ‘significantly’ affected her life and career.’
In a press release on Wednesday, Remini stated, ‘For 17 years, Scientology and David Miscavige have subjected me to what I believe to be psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment and intimidation, significantly impacting my life and career. I believe I am not the first person targeted by Scientology and its operations, but I intend to be the last.’
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