| Église de Scientologie c. Suède [Church of Scientology v. Sweden] | |
|---|---|
| Court | European Court of Human Rights |
| Decided | 14 July 1980 |
| Citation | [1] |
Church of Scientology v. Sweden (8282/78) was a case decided by the European Commission of Human Rights in 1980.
In 1975, a Swedish newspaper published certain statements made in the course of lecture by a professor of theology, including that "Scientology in the most untruthful movement there is. It is the cholera of spiritual life. That is how dangerous it is". [1]
Request by the Church of Scientology to start proceedings against the publisher was rejected by the Supreme Court. [1]
The commission declared the application inadmissible. Concerning Article 9 of the Convention (freedom of religion), it noted that the Commission does not exclude the possibility of criticism or 'agitation' against a church or religious group reaching such a level that it might endanger freedom of religion and where a tolerance of such behaviour by the authorities could engage State responsibility. However, the Commission does not consider that such an issue arises on the facts of the present case. [1] : para 5
Concerning Article 6 (access to court), the Commission reaffirmed that the right of an individual to protect his reputation can be regarded as a civil right protected by Article 6, but did not extend this protection to a group, when the national legislation didn't foresee that. [1] : para 19