According to a report from Radio Free Europe, a recent ruling by an appellate court in Moscow has effectively labeled Scientology literature -namely the books written by L. Ron Hubbard as extremist. The court’s ruling upholds a decision by a lower court that also recommended the banning of Scientology literature on the basis that it could be considered extremist. That decision took place in June.

The basis for the appellate court to uphold the lower court’s ruling is that L. Ron Hubbard’s books promote the formation of isolationist groups for the purpose of fighting other groups, thereby meeting the definition of extremism. As a result of these court decisions, L. Ron Hubbard’s books, many of them science fiction novels, are now classified as extremist literature and therefore banned.

This is not the first time that a branch of the Russian government has placed strong restrictions on Scientology. Russian courts have gone as far as shutting down a Dianetics Center -a meeting place for Scientologists- in the large industrial city of Naberezhnye Chelny. The European Court of Human Rights has tried to intercede in favor of Scientology in Russia to little avail.

The Russian court decision is significant in the sense that it essentially criminalizes Scientology literature. In the past, Russian authorities have denied the official registration of Scientology chapters solely because the religion does not have a long history in that nation.

A previous article published in The Costa Rica Star took a close look at the rise of Scientology in Costa Rica, despite the fact that the religion is undergoing a schism in the United States. While Costa Rica is a Roman Catholic country by virtue of our Constitution, it is important to note that freedom of religion prevails in our nation.