mediawatchwatch.org.uk

A book by a former member of Scientology’s “Sea Organisation” – the paramilitary wing of the cult – has been pulled by Amazon UK “for legal reasons”.

The Complex: An Insider Exposes the Covert World of the Church of Scientology by John Duignan was published in Dublin on October 27. It is still available in WH Smith, Waterstones, and the US Amazon (currently out of stock) – but not the UK division.

Duignan describes how two years ago he staged a dramatic escape from the elite paramilitary group at the core of the Church, the Sea Organisation, and how he narrowly evaded pursuit by Scientologists from the Office of Special Affairs. He looks back on the 22 years he served in the Church s secret army and describes the hours of sleep deprivation, brain-washing and intense auditing or religious counselling he endured, as he was moulded into a soldier of Scientology. He talks about the money-making-machine at the heart of the Church, the Scientology goal to Clear the Planet and Get Ethics In , the training programmes, the Rehabilitation Project Force and the punishments meted out to anyone who transgresses, including children. We follow his journey through the Church and the painful investigation that leads to his eventual realisation that there is something very wrong at Scientology s core.

The only place we could find this book for sale is here. UPDATE – also at Blackwells.
UPDATE: (19 Nov) According to commenters on this article, Blackwells are no longer willing to ship the book, and it is not available in the USA.

UPDATE (2): (19 Nov) Aoife Barrett, the editorial director of Merlin publishing, has made this statement (via):

Merlin Publishing has received a solicitor’s letter from a member of the Church of Scientology alleging that he has been defamed in our publication ‘The Complex: An Insider Exposes the Covert World of the Church of Scientology’ by John Duignan and Nicola Tallant, which we have emphatically denied.

We understand that the solicitors copied their originating letter to Amazon.co.uk who have removed the book from their website. We have had no communication from Amazon.co.uk at all and they have not notified us of their dealings with regards to the book. ‘The Complex’ is still widely available in bookshops around Ireland and we have no intention of withdrawing it. Irish booksellers have also told us they will continue to stock the book.

We would like to sell international rights to The Complex particularly in the US and the UK and are in negotiations with publishers in both countries. At the moment the book is available to buy directly from ourselves from all countries except the UK.

We believe that the claim been made is vexatious and is another example of the Church of Scientology trying to prevent any criticism of their organisation being published.