The Freewinds: prison ship right under your nose (and home of the IAS, too)

Enough is enough. I simply cannot take the lies and the constant denials from church officials concerning disconnection.

My name is Valeska Guider (nee Paris).  My sister Melissa recently posted a declaration on Scientology-cult website that recounted her experiences with disconnection in our family. I share much of that, but also have other experiences and information that should be made known.

When I was 6 years old my parents divorced. I had been living in Switzerland with my younger sister, (Melissa) and baby brother, Raphael.  My father ended up with full custody and decided to join the Sea Org in England at Saint Hill. We travelled to England in September 1984, my mother came with us to drop us off. We got onto a blue broken down mini bus to travel to berthing.  My mom told us she was going to the canteen to get a coffee. She left and never came back.

We arrived at Stonelands Sea Org berthing. None of us kids spoke English and my father’s was broken at best. We found our way to the dining room that had holes in the ceiling and I got food poisoning and threw up that whole night. My father, brother, sister and I were all put in the same single bed. We missed our mom and were totally homesick. The next day my dad started on the EPF and we were put in the Cadet Org and put on MEST work with the other kids. (This chapter is focused on disconnection, so I am not getting into the sordid details of the Cadet Org here, Melissa’s write up contains some details of this time.)

For the first couple of years we had family time, and would see my dad for 2 hours a day (combined dinner and family time). However in 1986 family time was cancelled and no adults then came to Stonelands for dinner so we barely ever saw our dad after that. He would come home very late at night when we were sleeping and we would get up to go to school when he was sleeping.

After about a year my mother came to Stonelands to visit. She saw how gross the living conditions were and was horrified. She tried to get us back to move with her to the States near Flag. She was told we were future Sea Org members and she was out ethics for trying to get us and that she would be declared an SP if she persisted. She tried several times and was sent to ethics, threatened again with declare and eventually gave up. We visited my mother for the summer holidays and we loved this.  It was a different world: proper food and a room with heating and no leaks. We dreaded going back to England but we loved our Dad.

In 1992 when I was 14, we all went to the US to see my Mom for the summer holidays and I decided to join the Sea Org at Flag. It was great. Flag was much better than Stonelands and I would spend every other Saturday with her.  My mother is an OT VIII Class XII auditor.

But then, on Dec 11th 1995 everything changed.

That was the day my step father, Albert, committed suicide following a series of gross mishandlings from the Church. He was found dead on his bed by my brother who was 6 years old at the time, (son of Albert and my mother). Albert had asked my mom to make his story known so that it would not happen to anyone else. Albert gave her his diary which included details of what he had been through and what he wanted done following his death. My mother was devastated. She went to the local Org in Switzerland and following Albert’s wishes she demanded money back on his behalf and that the Scientologists he had loaned money to pay it back. This is perfectly normal and covered by LRH in the Chaplains Court policy. Instead, the Church sued my mother for black mail and tried to have her put in jail.  This went nowhere as she had done nothing wrong. The Church went all the way to the Swiss Supreme Court and of course they lost. She then went on TV and provided evidence on what had happened. She was now considered an SP and the Scientologists still have not paid the money back. I was at Flag when this happened and OSA Flag used me to try and “handle” my mother. Of course they did not tell me the truth about what had happened and told me my mom was an SP attacking the Church for no reason. I was ordered to disconnect from my mom.  I was 17 at the time and this was pretty hard as I really love her but I did it as this was “the ethical thing to”. OSA Flag also made my mom out to be a villain which is something that the Church does with anyone who steps out of line:  that individual is suddenly “all bad” and always has been.  Just look at what they do now with anyone who speaks out.

When my mom came back from Switzerland in September 1996, I was ordered to the Ship by David Miscavige to get me away from my mom.  I had no forewarning. I was woken 1 hour before my plane was leaving and not able to take any of my personal belongings with me other than a small bag. I was told that I would be at the ship for 2 weeks: I ended up being there for 12 years. I hated it and wanted to go back to Flag. I got in trouble for this and was put in the engine room until I “had a cognition” . I had to report to the Captains office, where Mike Napier yelled at me that I had no choice but to stay on the Ship. I was miserable. For the first 6 months I was not allowed to step off the Ship in case my mom was on one of the Islands to get me! I was also not allowed to take holidays off the Ship. I missed my family terribly and was informed by the Security Chf International that my only choice was to get my family in good standing to come and visit me on the Ship.

In 1997 my sister came to the Ship for her honeymoon. The day before she left I was 1/2 hour late back on post — I was pulled up to Mike Napier’s office, yelled at, removed from post and put on the decks for 6 months and restricted to the Ship.

For the first 8 years I was not allowed off the Ship without an escort in case my mom was on one of the islands. I finally got this changed in 2004 by talking to the Security Chief.

In 2002 my sister was declared for connecting with my mom. I was pulled into HCO and shown her SP declare and ordered to disconnect from her. I foolishly did as not disconnecting was not an option and was “suppressive”.

In 2007 a man whose marriage had been on the rocks for at least 7 years had an interest in me and was working on getting me interested in him. 8 months later I did and we had comm cycles about being together in the future. He was in progress of getting a divorce. Our actions were incorrect and resulted in me being assigned to the Engine Room. I saw the guy a few times and we talked when we were not supposed to, though we never touched or did anything physical. I was accused by Sue Price ( CO CMO) and Lurie Belotti (RTC Rep) of “breaking up the marriage” even though he had trouble for 7 years before he even met me and I was the 2nd woman he had created something with.

At this point the Basics had been released and we were getting no sleep until we made our booksales quota. I was a Staff Staff Auditor, and me and every other crew member was on booksales, often through the entire nite!

One night Lurie Belotti asked me if I was the reason that this guy had moved out of his room into a dorm. I had no idea what she was going on about and just said “yes” as I was not interested in talking to her. She sent me to the Engine Room for 48 hours straight! This is after weeks of an average of 3 hours sleep a night trying to meet insane booksales quotas. At about 4am I just blacked out against a machine and was found 4 1/2 hours later by an engineer who shook me till I came to. I was then put back to work for another day and night without sleep and then back on post the day after that. And I was expected to audit.

This guy and I spoke again and I got taken off post and put in the Engine Room full time. I was put in this small room by myself with a camera monitoring my movements. A security guard escorted me anywhere I went, I had to eat in the engine room and was not allowed to eat in the control room because it was air conditioned. I was not allowed to work with anyone so I was alone at all times. All as ordered by Sue Price and Lurie Belotti, those soulless husks of humanity. I was miserable and wanted out. I started going in session on a Sec check with an auditor who was getting no sleep and would dope off in the session. I was in the engine room for almost 3 months full time.  I hated it and just wanted to get off the Ship, I was of course not allowed to call my family at all or talk to anyone. Towards the end I started making up overts to just get out of there. One day in early December I wore a ring on my finger and left it there to try and simulate a rockslam as I thought that would get me out of there faster.

In December 2007 I called my brother using another staff members’ cruise card which you need to call off the Ship.  Mine had been deactivated. I spoke to him for 1/2 an hour. I told him to call me back and it was discovered I had called him. I was yelled at by the Security Chief and the then Dir I&R and told I was suppressive and 1.1, this went on and on. I then had to write down everything I had told my brother. I was assigned to the RPF and informed if I did not go I would be declared.

I was supposed to be sent to Europe to do the RPF but refused. I was told I had no choice and they were going to declare me an SP. I didn’t care, I had enough. I wanted out right away and it was not happening so when I went in session I lied and said that I was suicidal, because I had seen enough people being kicked out for this. The same night Sue Price pulled me into the dining room and told me I looked terrible, she then said she knew I was lying about the suicide and proceeded to try and introvert me. Eventually she said she would send me to Australia if she could and I was happy about that. I was told the next day that I would be going to Australia and was just relieved to get off the Ship. I decided I would NEVER go back.

I left on Dec 25th which was one of the greatest reliefs I have ever experienced. I arrived to Australia and believe it or not I loved the RPF.  Despite all the restrictions, no pay from the Ship for 6 months and no PC folder till after I was done with all the auditing — it was heaven compared to what I had experienced the last months on the Ship. I completed the RPF in Nov 2008. I was posted in Australia and Sue Price and Lurie Belotti did not like this.  After booting me off the Freewinds and not paying me, now they demanded a replacement! They said they were going to send me to England, then to LA, and then threatened to have me escorted back to the Ship and be put in the Engine Room until there was a “replacement”.  CLO ANZO gave the Freewinds 3 staff but then that was not good enough. “Auditor’s don’t grow on trees” they said and demanded a Clear Grad V Auditor.

By this time I had a relationship with my current husband (Chris Guider who I had met on the RPF — he too had been sent to the ANZO RPF when he was considered a “security risk” ).  There was NO way I was going to go back to the Ship or be trafficked to where they wanted. A lot happened in this period which I won’t cover here. I married Chris — but apparently was supposed to have “OK” from Sue Price first!  Like she has any say in who I marry and when. This was a big flap and I was now in trouble yet again and was supposed to be sent back to the RPF.  We had had had enough and said we were leaving.  We finally routed out in late Aug 2009. We were in good standing and were given money “because I was going to have a baby” (I attribute this treatment to what has been happening on the internet and the fact that I know a lot of information about the Freewinds and the IAS, and Chris knows a lot about DM, Int and Gold).

I had not yet really fully seen the light, and I wanted to handle my sister and mom’s declare. So I got in communication with them.  We were then called by Marion Pouw who informed me I was violating Church policy by being in comm with my family.  My brother also got in comm with my mom and sister and OSA ordered him to disconnect. I refused to disconnect from my sister and mother so now my father and brother have both disconnected from me, my husband and my baby boy who will be born in the next 3 -4 weeks, though my dad expresses extreme upset about having to do this.

I have written comms from my dad.

I also have written comms from Marion Pouw, who works directly for David Miscavige trying to clean up the messes he has created with lies.  In spite of whatever Tommy Davis says, or how the church tries to spin it, she clearly states that disconnection is the on policy thing to do.

I am writing this as I am sick of the blatant lies that the Church is telling the media with no shame or remorse.

Written by Valeska Guider