Demanding release of one of their spiritual leaders, Raelians worldwide will protest tomorrow in front of Gabon's embassies

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Mar 17, 2013, 02:11 ET

LAS VEGAS, March 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Raelians will stage worldwide protests tomorrow in front of Gabon's embassies to demand the immediate release of one of their leaders, who was arrested and jailed on February 27 in Franceville, Gabon.

"Raelian Guide Jean Rene Ogoula Ale has been sitting in jail for over 2 weeks on the absurd charge of witchcraft," said Brigitte Boisselier, Ph.D, spokesperson for the International Raelian Movement (IRM) in a statement released today. "It's outrageous beyond belief that this could happen in 2013. Ale is an engineer and a spiritual guide, but he's in jail because the judicial system of Gabon operates as though sorcery really exists."

Declaring that Oguala must be freed immediately, Boisselier gave additional details.

"Ale's accusers are the parents of a 17-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl who showed interest in the Raelian philosophy at a Raelian meeting where Ale presented the Raelian Messages," she explained. "The parents are Christians, and they claim that their daughter has had bad dreams and has been drawing scenes of violence since that meeting."

"That was enough for the judge to go along with the accusation of practicing magic and witchcraft on underage persons," said Tai Ehouan, leader of the Raelian Movement in Kama (the precolonial, native name for Africa). "The judge's decision defies all logic and is totally unacceptable."

Ehouan says the verdict was not only wrong but ironic, since the IRM is dedicated to denouncing beliefs in any supernatural powers.

"It's ridiculous to associate the practice of witchcraft with the Raelian Messages, which are based on science," he said. "The Raelian Messages demystify everything, and Raelians denounce any witchcraft and any other mystical practices that inhibit the blossoming of the brain by instilling fear."

Boisselier noted that such beliefs often cause deep childhood trauma.

"We have heartfelt feeling for the young girl involved in this case, who, according to her parents, shows signs of being traumatized," she said. "But we also strongly denounce and deny the link her parents and the judge have made between her trauma and our profoundly non-violent Raelian Messages."

Boisselier also deplores the accusation made against Ale.

"This Raelian Guide has always been a great example of living in harmony and of respecting the Raelian philosophy of absolute nonviolence," she said. "The judge's decision to detain Ale on the basis of unverifiable, medieval accusations is a violation of human rights, and we demand that the same judge now end this arbitrary detention."

SOURCE Raelian Movement