THE US State Department will criticise Germany for its treatment of members of the Church of Scientology in a report later this week on human rights conditions around the world.
While previous reports have also been critical of Germany in this matter, the language this year will be tougher, according to the Washington Post, because of the recent "open letter to Helmut Kohl" placed as full page advertisements in the US press by 30 prominent figures.
The "letter" has aroused controversy because it accuses Germany of a "shameful pattern of organised persecution" of church members there and compares it with the Nazi persecution of Jews in the 1930s. The signatories included Dustin Hoffman, Goldie Hawn, Gore Vidal, Mario Puzo, Oliver Stone and, Larry King.
The letter was condemned by German politicians, and the State Department was also critical of its comparison with Nazi persecution of Jews.
But a State Department official is quoted as telling the Post that its report, to be published on Thursday, will rebuke Germany for "a campaign of harassment and intimidation" against the church. The official said that US efforts through diplomatic channels to persuade Germany "not to prosecute people for wrong thinking" have been rebuffed.
A German diplomat is quoted as saying that "we won't change our position no matter what you say". The diplomat said Germany had a unique sensitivity to extremism because of its Nazi past and was obliged to restrain the activities of groups which could destabilise the country.
A position paper distributed by the German embassy here describes the Church of Scientology, not as a religion, but as a cult like organisation built on "pseudo science". The paper says membership can lead to psychological and physical dependency, to financial ruin and even to suicide".
The church claims its members in Germany are "targets of systematic discrimination in every stratum of society". Members are "blacklisted, boycotted, vilified, ostracised and threatened".
The State Department finds itself in a difficult position because of some German actions affecting US citizens, such as the call for a boycott on the film Mission Impossible because the star, Tom Cruise, is a Scientologist. The jazz pianist Chick Corea is also affected by the German campaign.
The Church of Scientology was founded in the 1950s by the American science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard. It claims eight million members around the world, including 30,000 in Germany.
The Organisation for Security and Co operation in Europe (OSCE) has also been critical of Germany in a report on human rights. It pointed to some German, action which "reflects the determination to marginalise or eradicate groups perceived as extremist or threatening to the established order."