Editing Scientology and law (section)

== Litigation for religious recognition ==
{{Main|Scientology status by country}}

One goal of the Church of Scientology is to be recognized as a religion or a tax-free charity, which has met resistance from several governments, with Scientology taking to the courts with varying results. For example, Scientology's path to legal recognition as a religion in New Zealand took 48 years and several lawsuits.<ref name="hrwf">{{cite press release |title=IRD recognises Scientology church as charity |publisher= Human Rights Without Frontiers International |date=December 27, 2002 |url=http://www.hrwf.net/html/newzealand2002.HTM |access-date=2006-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031023064114/http://www.hrwf.net/html/newzealand2002.HTM |archive-date=October 23, 2003}}</ref> In 1999, the United Kingdom rejected an application for charity status and the attendant tax benefits.<ref name="charity-com">
{{cite web |website=[[Charity Commission]] |date=November 17, 1999 |url=http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Library/registration/pdfs/cosfulldoc.pdf |title=Decision of the Commissioners on the application by the Church of Scientology (England and Wales) for registration as a charity |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623095446/http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Library/registration/pdfs/cosfulldoc.pdf |archive-date=June 23, 2006 |access-date=August 9, 2006}}</ref> Scientology applied for Canadian tax-exempt status in 1998,<ref name="globe-mail-saunders">J. Saunders & T. Appleby, ''Scientology Seeks Tax Receipt Status'', [[The Globe and Mail]], January 19, 1998, A1, A6.</ref> was rejected in 1999,<ref name="hagglund-usenet">{{cite newsgroup|title=Charity status reported turned down|author=Gregg Hagglund|date=November 14, 1999|newsgroup=alt.religion.scientology|message-id=130919992016161959%elrond@cgo.wave.ca|url=http://groups.google.ca/group/alt.religion.scientology/msg/38e3bce5f8b9dbbb|access-date = 2006-08-09}}</ref> and is not registered as a charity as of 2009.<ref name="cra-list">[https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/haip/srch/sec/SrchLogin-e?login=true Canada Revenue Agency Charity List]{{dead link|date=May 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In Austria, the organization withdrew its application to register as a "religious confessional community".<ref>[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71367.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2006], U.S. State Department
</ref> Some governments have labeled the church as a [[cult]]. German<ref name="germany-embassy-US">{{cite web |url=http://www.germany.info/relaunch/info/archives/background/scientology.html |title=Scientology and Germany, Understanding the German View of Scientology |publisher=German Embassy in Washington, D.C. |access-date=2006-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813194020/http://www.germany.info/relaunch/info/archives/background/scientology.html 
 |archive-date=August 13, 2006 }}</ref> and Belgian government entities have accused Scientology of violating the human rights of its members and therefore called it a "[[totalitarianism|totalitarian]] cult" and a "commercial enterprise". In 1995, a parliamentary report in France classified it as a "dangerous cult".<ref name="france-assembly-report">[[French National Assembly]] [http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/rap-enq/r2468.asp Report of the Board of Inquiry into Cults] (December 22, 1995, in French, [http://www.cftf.com/french/Les_Sectes_en_France/cults.html English translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708133154/http://www.cftf.com/french/Les_Sectes_en_France/cults.html |date=July 8, 2011 }} available)</ref> In Russia, the government had refused to consider Scientology for registration as a religious organization, which became the subject of proceedings before the [[European Court of Human Rights]] in the case of ''[[Church of Scientology Moscow v. Russia]]''.<ref name="ECHR-Russia"/>