North America

U.S. Federal Court Rules Filmmakers Lied about Raelians

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Undisclosed damages to include return of film footage

Undisclosed damages to include return of film footage

A California federal court has found that two vocal critics of the Raelian Movement (www.rael.org) fabricated stories about the organization. The court awarded undisclosed damages to the Raelians, including the return of film footage.

Abdullah Hashem and Joseph McGowen appeared on Fox News and other media outlets in 2005-2006, saying they saw people recruited through sex and that acts of pedophilia took place at a Raelian seminar in 2005.

Raelians have claimed for years that the two men lied about what they reported, and they have now been legally vindicated. On September 15, the federal court issued a final judgment against Hashem, who was also ordered to return all film footage taken at the seminar to the Raelian Movement. A copy of the ruling is available upon request under:
United States District Court for the Eastern District of California: International Raelian Movement v. Hashem (Case No. 2:08-cv-00687-GEB –DAD).

“We’ve been waiting for this day for five years and we have finally been vindicated in a U.S. Federal Court,” said Ricky Roehr, spokesperson for the Raelian Movement.
“What Hashem did was criminal, but it was only one small step further than what many other media have done when reporting about us. Grossly exaggerating events or sensationalizing and distorting facts is the way lies are circulated to cause a great damage to innocent people. Thanks to the U.S. court system, we are finally able to put to rest all the false rumors and outright lies that have been circulating about our philosophical organization.”


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