A Reply to the Video: "Cost of Silence II"
BY: KRSNA DASI Mar 02, 2019
Thank you very much to the CPO and their difficult, thankless task of unraveling and sorting through the ongoing child abuse cases perpetrated by ISKCON's leadership. Such an important report. Everyone should see this video to understand how serious this issue continues to be, even after internal proceedings have been completed. Still ISKCON's GBC fails to adhere to the procedures they've agreed to. Worse, they have devotee lawyers who are ill-advised and are undermining the internal religious court set up to solve these issues.
It's understandable that criminal abuse which has taken place in foreign territories—like India or outside of the U.S. Federal jurisdiction—is nearly impossible to prosecute, especially with any statutes of limitation, or an unwillingness of victims to cooperate. As the video reports, even those who have direct witness to, or contact with those NEW cases are afraid to report, for fear of losing membership or position.
The update has used some language that I wish to highlight. Language that is typically reserved for actual trial court sessions or judge panel hearings (without a jury). The quasi-courts or non-secular tribunals where legal terminology is written and spoken by official representatives of the church, and of the state bars (attorneys who must also be members of the church), are to include non-biased oversight by senior members. The GBC have long-held this position of kangaroo court afforded to religious institutions, separated from secular laws—in rampant violation of criminal laws.
Those non-secular tribunal panels or committees that answer to higher authorities—and render 'verdicts' or 'judgments' upon reprimanded members—are clearly limited in scope and power. Family matters like marriage, annulment, or divorce issues; church property management or sale; policies of the mission and fulfillment of spiritual goals, are those that don't require a criminal court or prosecution.
But, there, in GBC la-la land, we find those criminal conduct cases 'adjudicated' by their own biased selves. What to speak of the fiduciary/legal duty of a representative, such as a teacher, administrator, nurse, etc. to report criminal suspicions to secular authorities—known as the police or FBI in America.
The video suggests the internal court-committee appointed by the GBC is to reverse the previous adjudications of the 'convicted' child sex offender-leaders. What's more, the committee includes four lawyers, all initiated devotees of ISKCON. A bad smell is coming.
Some questions:
What on earth are devotee lawyers doing by NOT reporting serious allegations of HABITUAL criminal misconduct by leaders to secular law enforcement authorities?
What legal principles are they upholding? The right to bend the secular criminal statutes to fit their own non-secular tribunal, crossing into grey areas of murky waters—between faith and conscience.
Where does our society officially, in writing, condone the physical, verbal, psychological, or sexual abuse of members, specifically children in 2019? Let's see that in writing.
Are 'convicted' ISKCON leaders required to register in their home countries as pedophile sex-offenders, or will they run free to another territory/zone and continue the activities?
Where does it say that licensed attorneys who are also initiated devotees, can willfully withhold and obstruct criminal justice, in the name of non-secular, religious, ecclesiastic by-laws of the institution?
What are the attorneys going to do when they are investigated for violations of misconduct within their own practices? Failure to report, failure to advise the suspects of next steps in legal prosecution for failure to uphold the verdict rendered—what happens next since it has been evidenced the 'convicted' continue to do wrong?
What will ISKCON GBCs do to uphold the adjudications of their own private tribunal? Like convictions made against those men and two women who have been found unwelcome to continue in fiduciary positions, such as holding titles like "His Divine Grace" or "initiating spiritual master for ISKCON"?
The CPO team has documented repeated criminal misconduct and the GBC has knowledge that there is an internal court-committee trying those cases for resolution. Will the next step be to turn over those convicted in the private devotee court—to criminal prosecution—when the offenders don't abide by the private rulings?
If, according to S R prabhu, there exists no attorney in their court-committee who has specialty in such prosecutions of criminal offenses against children, let the audience know why: because hiring of an outside unbiased attorney who has specialty knowledge of such egregious criminal misconduct against children will set off the shit-storm of reformation. The hand-holding and reversals of convictions will have to STOP. Imagine that!
Frankly, this internal kangaroo court hasn't worked out; doesn't have the financial support of the GBC; and doesn't have the appropriate legal counsel afforded by the U.S. government to church authorities, who privately handle their own civil or property matters. Bias runs rampant, even from Harvard graduates, and sadly in a criminal direction.
Sure, let the clock run out on statutes of limitations for using criminal prosecution as the means to justice. You attorneys are now eating the justice for dessert, and will be for untold years. Don't be surprised if you are investigated or disbarred for this kind of behavior. Justice obstructers that you are. If those internally representing the law can't do it, then get an external oversight/investigation body to turn over this kangaroo court and do the needful.
BY: KRSNA DASI Mar 02, 2019
Thank you very much to the CPO and their difficult, thankless task of unraveling and sorting through the ongoing child abuse cases perpetrated by ISKCON's leadership. Such an important report. Everyone should see this video to understand how serious this issue continues to be, even after internal proceedings have been completed. Still ISKCON's GBC fails to adhere to the procedures they've agreed to. Worse, they have devotee lawyers who are ill-advised and are undermining the internal religious court set up to solve these issues.
It's understandable that criminal abuse which has taken place in foreign territories—like India or outside of the U.S. Federal jurisdiction—is nearly impossible to prosecute, especially with any statutes of limitation, or an unwillingness of victims to cooperate. As the video reports, even those who have direct witness to, or contact with those NEW cases are afraid to report, for fear of losing membership or position.
The update has used some language that I wish to highlight. Language that is typically reserved for actual trial court sessions or judge panel hearings (without a jury). The quasi-courts or non-secular tribunals where legal terminology is written and spoken by official representatives of the church, and of the state bars (attorneys who must also be members of the church), are to include non-biased oversight by senior members. The GBC have long-held this position of kangaroo court afforded to religious institutions, separated from secular laws—in rampant violation of criminal laws.
Those non-secular tribunal panels or committees that answer to higher authorities—and render 'verdicts' or 'judgments' upon reprimanded members—are clearly limited in scope and power. Family matters like marriage, annulment, or divorce issues; church property management or sale; policies of the mission and fulfillment of spiritual goals, are those that don't require a criminal court or prosecution.
But, there, in GBC la-la land, we find those criminal conduct cases 'adjudicated' by their own biased selves. What to speak of the fiduciary/legal duty of a representative, such as a teacher, administrator, nurse, etc. to report criminal suspicions to secular authorities—known as the police or FBI in America.
The video suggests the internal court-committee appointed by the GBC is to reverse the previous adjudications of the 'convicted' child sex offender-leaders. What's more, the committee includes four lawyers, all initiated devotees of ISKCON. A bad smell is coming.
Some questions:
What on earth are devotee lawyers doing by NOT reporting serious allegations of HABITUAL criminal misconduct by leaders to secular law enforcement authorities?
What legal principles are they upholding? The right to bend the secular criminal statutes to fit their own non-secular tribunal, crossing into grey areas of murky waters—between faith and conscience.
Where does our society officially, in writing, condone the physical, verbal, psychological, or sexual abuse of members, specifically children in 2019? Let's see that in writing.
Are 'convicted' ISKCON leaders required to register in their home countries as pedophile sex-offenders, or will they run free to another territory/zone and continue the activities?
Where does it say that licensed attorneys who are also initiated devotees, can willfully withhold and obstruct criminal justice, in the name of non-secular, religious, ecclesiastic by-laws of the institution?
What are the attorneys going to do when they are investigated for violations of misconduct within their own practices? Failure to report, failure to advise the suspects of next steps in legal prosecution for failure to uphold the verdict rendered—what happens next since it has been evidenced the 'convicted' continue to do wrong?
What will ISKCON GBCs do to uphold the adjudications of their own private tribunal? Like convictions made against those men and two women who have been found unwelcome to continue in fiduciary positions, such as holding titles like "His Divine Grace" or "initiating spiritual master for ISKCON"?
The CPO team has documented repeated criminal misconduct and the GBC has knowledge that there is an internal court-committee trying those cases for resolution. Will the next step be to turn over those convicted in the private devotee court—to criminal prosecution—when the offenders don't abide by the private rulings?
If, according to S R prabhu, there exists no attorney in their court-committee who has specialty in such prosecutions of criminal offenses against children, let the audience know why: because hiring of an outside unbiased attorney who has specialty knowledge of such egregious criminal misconduct against children will set off the shit-storm of reformation. The hand-holding and reversals of convictions will have to STOP. Imagine that!
Frankly, this internal kangaroo court hasn't worked out; doesn't have the financial support of the GBC; and doesn't have the appropriate legal counsel afforded by the U.S. government to church authorities, who privately handle their own civil or property matters. Bias runs rampant, even from Harvard graduates, and sadly in a criminal direction.
Sure, let the clock run out on statutes of limitations for using criminal prosecution as the means to justice. You attorneys are now eating the justice for dessert, and will be for untold years. Don't be surprised if you are investigated or disbarred for this kind of behavior. Justice obstructers that you are. If those internally representing the law can't do it, then get an external oversight/investigation body to turn over this kangaroo court and do the needful.
CAITANYA DAS: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND: In regards to child abuse within ISKCON, of course the absolute importance of cleaning up the society off all aspects of it is a no brainer. Srila Prabhupada said our movement would go on by intelligence. One really has to question the intelligence of our GBC.
ReplyDeletePerhaps they have become so "Krishna conscious" that they have "lost touch" with the ordinary material world. This is a symptom of mayavadi and sahajiya tendencies, and if there were intelligent members who understood preaching and Prabhupada's mission, it would be rooted out and taken as an absolute priority. Whatever the cost... even if the new temple in Mayapur is delayed.