Was Valeska Paris kept captive on a Scientology cruise ship for 12 years? That's what she's alleging and given some of the things that have happened with the Church of Scientology over the years, it's hard to call her story unbelievable. She hasn't offered any hard evidence that I know of, but I'm not sure what sort of evidence she'd able to offer even if everything she says is 100% true.
In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC News) Lateline program, Paris claims that Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige sent her to the ship when she was 18 in order to prevent her family from pulling her out of the organization.
"I was basically hauled in and told that my mum had attacked the church and that I needed to disconnect from her because she was suppressive," she said. "He decided the ship, and I found out two hours before my plane left, I was woken up in the morning and I was sent to the ship for 'two weeks.' "
Paris was born into a Scientology family, but her mother quit the group after her husband committed suicide, blaming Scientology for coercing him out of a self-made personal fortune of more than a million dollars.
Instead of the promised two week stay, Paris found herself unable to leave the ship without an official Scientology escort and was often forced into hard labor on the lower levels of the ship for stretches as long as two full days. "It's hot, it's extremely loud, it's smelly, it's not nice. I was sent down there at first for 48 hours straight on almost no sleep and I had to work by myself," she said.
Source: Yahoo
The Church of Scientology denies the allegations, but they don't have much to offer either and their history doesn't render them very credible when it comes to denying that they have done anything wrong. The one thing that the Church of Scientology does have to say about Valeska Paris which might hold weight is that she had extended trips to various countries like Denmark and Britain. If that's true, then her passport should contain evidence of at least some of this.
So if there is evidence of visits to such countries, then Valeska Paris' accusations are less credible because it's hard to believe that she'd be monitored all that time. Granted, her story wouldn't be completely unbelievable because being raised in an oppressive environment where you don't know anything else can produce a person who doesn't run away even when they have a chance, but her credibility would diminish. And the fact that she even spent that long on one ship is suspicious by itself.
On the other hand, if there is no evidence of such trips in her passport, then the defense of the Church of Scientology would seem to be a lie. That would actually enhances Valeska Paris' credibility. So I'd like to see her provide her passport to some independent investigator to determine what it has to say about her travel history.
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