From: martinottmann@yahoo.com (Martin Ottmann)
Subject: "Meeting with expert M. A. Sivertsev" - Russian OSA memo from July 11th, 1997
Date: 30 Jan 2003 14:30:27 -0800
Message-ID: <71d327bb.0301301430.17639d95@posting.google.com>
11 July 1997.
Meeting with expert M.A.Sivertsev.
Subject: The current scene and the religion law.
Mr. Sivertsev has the current antireligion activity influencing his own life. In the past 3 years or more he was employed in the struture of Stateduma, Federal Council and President Administration as expert on various issues incl religion and international relations.
Earlier this year he had a battle with the administration and lost it. So he lost several jobs. The reason: his expertise on Scientology and his open promotion of factual information on Scientology. Dvorkin was behind the battle against Sivertsev. Sivertsev is Jewish of confession. Thus he does not belong to the longtime "traditional church".
- About the religion law he gave the following prognosis: Based on what he knows there are a majority of interests also at the President Administration level who would advocate the law to be signed by Yeltsin. Thus it would be signed. The scene will not improve but on the contrary worsen. Therefore now is the time to create new organizational structure to handle the religion discrimination. There are no ways nor means within Russia to care for religious freedom. The interests behind the law are not connected with religion but solely with politics. The courts in Russia are not usefull for justice. Therefore it is vital to build an organizational body within international law which can receive support from the US, EU etc. The organization should aim to care for religion refugees to be given leeway to go to another place where they can work and live without interference due to their religion. They should achieve status as "refugees" at social and political level. Sivertsev compared this with the organization ALARM in Germany and other countries for the purpose of handling situation for German Scientologists with discrimination from Government. He himself now experience the current discrimination and in the past regime in Russia he also experienced it. He does not see this situation will change in reality. He several times mentioned that Russia is a culture with provokations against the citizens.
The interest for the refugee organization would be many religions as the scene affects these. Thus we should liaise and work broadly to create and run such organization but only with international structure so it can receive support from abroad. Within Russia the funds for such org would not be safe.
Besides the above input on the current scene Sivertsev expressed his disagreement on us having given attention to Dvorkin e.g. in the court case against him as such attention equals advertisement for Dvorkin. Further he asked why we did not use the fact that Dvorkin has US citizenship and was in the US for quite some time and then locate his whereabouts and his connections while he was over there? This would be possible he said. The point is there are some vested interests connected with Dvorkin, Sivertsev mentioned that he knew Dvorkin was connected with the American Orthodox Church.
Also Sivertsev mentioned that this current scene with discrimination will work to our benefits in this culture so it will mean more expansion for Scientology in Russia.
I recommend we get data here on the structure of ALARM org to see it's possible usefullness and we get from lawyer Tjaika input on what type of org to build per the idea of Sivertsev with pulling donations from abroad and actually doing real refugee work and getting people relocated away from Russia or relocated from one area of Russia to another. This would be real org to run with posted persons. This would be vehicle for many events which would reflect in the media with our message on the need for freedom in Russia. Would create international impact and put the scientologists on the front pages. We do need to invest in research in the US on Dvorkin and get him out of Russia or fully D.A.ed.
This is OK Birthe