22 Sep 2000
German_Scn_News <german_scn_news@hotmail.com>
Helnwein's capitulation
St. Ingbert, Germany
The last German-language VITEM release is now at:
Press Release
Gottfried Helnwein the painter finally lets
Frankfurt (21 Sept. 00) - Gottfried Helnwein the
painter has finally let the "Scientology trial" in the
Frankfurt Superior State Court fall through, and now
may officially be described as a Scientologist according
to the superior court's decision of 21 September 2000
(case number: 16 U 183195). Before the new trial could
begin in accordance with the Federal Constitutional
Court, by which Helnwein would risk public testimony
taken into evidence, the artist, as expected, waived due
process. The result is that all the statements in question
which showed a connection between him and
Scientology are allowed by the courts.
The background to the situation: in the early 1990s,
indices grew which showed that internationally known
artist Helnwein was a member of the Scientology
organization, which he disputed. In 1993, Jeannette
Schweitzer, chairperson of "VITEM e.V.," of St. Ingbert,
and a representative from another association wrote an
open letter which said that Helnwein "described himself
as a clergyman of Scientology," and that the Austrian
artist was a "Class IV auditor of the Scientology
Church." The open letter further stated that "Gottfried
Helnwein belonged to a group which destroyed people's
psyches in a compulsory hypnotic procedure aided by a
lie detector in order to control their consciousness."
Helnwein sued over these statements and publicly
distanced himself from Scientology. He made it through
Frankfurt State Court, but then lost on all points save one
in the next hearing. The only statement prohibited said
that the proceeds from the sale of a Marilyn Monroe
lithograph provably went to the OSA Scientology
intelligence agency. With what is known today, it would
also be possible to prove the factual content of that
statement (see, in German:
www.ingo-heinemann.de/helnw2.htm).
After that defeat, Helnwein brought his complaint to
Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe. In a startling
decision, the constitutional court referred the complaint
back to the Frankfurt Superior State Court in 1998 for
technical reasons in order to give VITEM e.V. the
chance to prove the truthfulness of the statements.
Jeannette Schweitzer and VITEM e.V. were well
equipped for the new trial. They could name a number of
new facts of evidence and several witnesses to support
their assertions.
Among the witnesses were former high-ranking members
who have since left Scientology, who knew Helnwein in
connection with Scientology activities and who lived with
him in Germany and in the Scientology stronghold of
Clearwater, Florida. They included a former high-placed
"clergywoman" from the organization's training center in
Clearwater. In the mid-1990s, at the high point of the
legal, public dispute, she was sent to Helnwein in
Burgbrohl, Rheinland-Pfalz, as she said, to help with
difficulties Helnwein was having in training up to
"Operating Thetan VII," the second to highest level of
"salvation" in Scientology.
Helnwein has appeared repeatedly in Scientology
publications as a contributor to Scientology's "War
Chest," the last time was 1998. According to the
organization's own publications, that money is used to
combat critics. As of the year 2000, the artist himself is
still being displayed by Scientology as an example of
Germany's alleged discrimination against Scientologists
because of their "membership in a religion."
Since Helnwein has waived due process in the Frankfurt
Superior Court, it is no longer necessary in civil law, but
neither is it possible, to prove how Scientologist
Helnwein tried to deceive the courts and the German
public. VITEM e.V. will now look into filing a criminal
complaints for suspicion of attempted trial fraud and false
sworn affirmation.
---
Unofficial translations of German media, For non-commercial use only
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September 20, 2000
Jeannette Schweitzer
Pr=E4ventions- und Ausstiegsberatung mit psychosozialer Begleitung
http://www.ingo-heinemann.de/helnw2.htm
"Scientology trial" fall through
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