A Russian court has now banned the Moscow branch of the Church of Scientology.
A court in Moscow has made the ruling after the Russian Ministry of Justice discovered that the word ‘Scientology’ was a registered trade mark, which was owned by the US Religious Technology Center.
That means it doesn’t comply with the country’s law on freedom of religion, which means it cannot be classed as a religion under Russian law.
A spokesperson from Russia’s Ministry of Justice said: ‘The representatives of the Church of Scientology have created many legal conflicts themselves by restricting the religious freedom through the use of trade marks.’
The church opened their first branch in Moscow in 1994, and in 2011 moved into an expensive new headquarters, situated just one mile away from the city’s iconic Red Square.
The Church of Scientology has created a vast amount of controversy since it’s beginning in the 1950s, despite having many high-profile members such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta.
Judge Mikhail Kazakov ruled: “The suit filed by the ministry of justice for the liquidation must be enacted.”
A spokesman for the Moscow branch said: “When decisions like this are handed down, actually everyone loses, and this decision affects not only the Church of Scientology of Moscow.
“This decision is a sign of disease in the justice system.”
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