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ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
MOST
COMMONLY
ASKED BY
MEDIA
What about the Church’s involvement in privacy and Freedom of Information Act cases?
The Church has spearheaded the rights of citizens to gain access to government documents and there are literally thousands of cases on file. In the United States, the Church has been one of the foremost proponents of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and in fact, published a very popular booklet on the subject which has empowered citizens across the nation.
Nor have Scientologists limited their energies in these matters to the United States. When freedom of information legislation was passed in France (1978), Canada (1982), Australia (1982), New Zealand (1983), Italy (1991) and Brussels (1991), members of the Church played a decisive role to bring these laws about.
In 1991 Scientologists also assisted passage of a new law in France providing individuals greater access to the files of Renseignements Generaux (General Information), the French intelligence police, known as the “RG.”
Journalists and others have directly
benefited from the precedents established by the Church in cases which have held government agencies accountable to release vital documents to the public on a variety of subjects. The Church’s actions have
been heralded as vital contributions to
the cause of ensuring honesty and openness in government.
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