One of the Church of Scientology‘s senior international figures, Jan Eastgate, has been charged for a second time in Sydney.
Last year, Ms Eastgate was charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to allegations that she coached an 11-year-old girl to lie to police and community services about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her Scientologist stepfather.
The allegations were raised publicly for the first time on Lateline in 2010.
On Monday, she was charged with another offence relating to perverting the course of justice.
Eastgate is the international president of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, an organisation founded by the Church of Scientology. She was awarded the Church’s Freedom Medal for promoting human rights in 1988.
Eastgate is due to appear at a committal hearing at Sydney’s Downing Centre on May 15.
She has yet to enter a plea.
Jan Eastgate is also known as Janice Meyer.
Note: The Church of Scientology pretends to promote human rights, perhaps hoping to gain a measure of respect by supporting popular causes. However, the ironically-named ‘Citizens Commission on Human Rights’ (CCHR) is in fact a hate group dedicated to attacking psychiatry and psychiatrists.
CCHR’s main purpose is clearing away the “Psychs” (mental health professionals; seen by Scientology as evil aliens from the fifth galactic invader force) to make way for Scientology’s advance into society. [See the ARS Acronym/Terminology FAQ]
As Scientology critic Martin Poulter has pointed out, “It is absolutely remarkable that an organisation which stands accused of so many human rights violations itself should spawn a pressure group with this name.”
The Church of Scientology has a lengthy history of hate- and harassment activities.