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CCHR Urges U.S. Reform as Global Court Momentum Builds Against Forced Psychiatry

LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 16, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — In what is being widely reported as a landmark human rights decision, Italy’s Constitutional Court in May 2025 struck down part of the country’s decades-old psychiatric law—Article 35 of Law 833/1978—declaring some of its provisions for involuntary detainment unconstitutional. The ruling affirms that individuals subjected to compulsory psychiatric hospitalization must have the right to challenge such detention in court with legal representation.[1] The Citizens Commission on Human Rights International (CCHR), based in Los Angeles, hailed the decision as an essential step towards achieving human rights in the mental health field. CCHR said its chapters worldwide are intensifying efforts to urge courts and lawmakers to follow suit and ultimately abolish forced psychiatric hospitalization and treatment. The group called on the United States to replicate—and expand—such protections.

Image caption: The growing international rulings, government acknowledgements, and awards highlight a turning tide—and now is the time for the United States to implement legal reforms that respect the rights, liberty, and dignity of all individuals in mental health settings. – CCHR International.

In the U.S., the practice of forced psychiatric detainment has sharply escalated. According to David Cohen, professor of social welfare at UCLA’s Luskin School, involuntary psychiatric detentions have increased at a rate three times higher than population growth in recent years.[2]

A 2023 report, Involuntary Civil Commitment: Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Protections, posted on Congress.gov, underscores that such commitments “implicate constitutional concerns and constraints under the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause of the U.S. Constitution,” particularly regarding the liberty interests of confined individuals. Yet, it notes the U.S. Supreme Court has never conclusively ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees all such protections.[3]

While the Italian court ruling is significant, CCHR notes that it stops short of banning Trattamento Sanitario Obbligatorio (TSO), the Italian legal framework for compulsory psychiatric hospitalization.[4] The U.S. similarly authorizes involuntary psychiatric treatment through legislative orders. In both countries, forced interventions remain legal despite mounting ethical criticism.

Coercion in mental health settings has increasingly drawn global condemnation. Critics argue that forced psychiatric treatment fundamentally violates human dignity and autonomy. A 2023 study in BMC Psychiatry concluded that coercion is incompatible with human rights and “should be avoided as far as possible.”[5] That same year, The Lancet warned that coercive psychiatric practices override patients’ fundamental rights, and that approaches to reduce coercion are possible, and the cost of implementing them is minimal compared to the damage caused by forced interventions.[6]

Italy’s decision follows another recent victory involving CCHR efforts in Europe. In Hungary, CCHR collaborated with legal experts to secure a Constitutional Court ruling that found Parliament had failed to provide legal avenues for individuals unlawfully detained in psychiatric facilities to seek compensation. Following sustained advocacy by CCHR Hungary, others, the Court and the President of the Republic, a new regulation was enacted on December 20, 2024, guaranteeing—for the first time—the legal right to compensation for victims of unlawful psychiatric detention.[7]

CCHR’s international work continues to gain recognition. On June 2, 2025, New Zealand CCHR volunteer Victor Boyd was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit by King Charles III. The honor recognized his 50-year campaign with CCHR to expose coercive psychiatric practices, particularly those used against children at the now-closed Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital’s Child and Adolescent Unit. Boyd’s relentless advocacy through CCHR helped prompt a formal government acknowledgement of the abuse and torture carried out by a psychiatrist heading the unit. The award is endorsed by the New Zealand Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Cabinet.[8]

Momentum is also growing at the global policy level. The World Health Organization (WHO) released its Guidance on Mental Health Policy and Strategic Action Plan in April 2025, recommending the prohibition of involuntary psychiatric practices—including forced hospitalization and treatment—and affirming individuals’ right to refuse such treatment. The WHO and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have repeatedly called for mental health systems to move away from coercion and adopt rights-respecting, support-based alternative approaches.

These international reforms are grounded in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Italy ratified in 2009. The CRPD explicitly rejects coercive interventions in mental health care. Its General Comment No. 1 affirms that all individuals—regardless of disability status—retain full legal capacity and must be supported, not substituted, in making decisions about their lives and health.[9]

About CCHR: Since its founding in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and professor of psychiatry, Dr. Thomas Szasz, CCHR has worked alongside survivors, whistleblowers, and international legal experts to expose systemic psychiatric abuse and advocate for transparent, non-coercive mental health care. The growing international rulings, government acknowledgements, and awards highlight a turning tide—and CCHR says now is the time for the United States to implement legal reforms that respect the rights, liberty, and dignity of all individuals in mental health settings.

To learn more, visit: https://www.cchrint.org/2025/06/13/italys-court-ruling-builds-against-forced-psychiatry/

Sources:

[1] “CCHR Encourages Italy to Complete Full Mental Health Reform After Court Ruling on Forced Treatment,” European Times, 5 June 2025, https://europeantimes.news/2025/06/cchr-italy-full-mental-health-reform-court-ruling-forced-treatment/

[2] https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/656273520/new-who-mental-health-guideline-condemns-coercive-psychiatric-practices; “Study finds involuntary psychiatric detentions on the rise,” UCLA Newsroom, 3 Nov. 2020, https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/involuntary-psychiatric-detentions-on-the-rise

[3] Hannah-Alise Rogers, “Involuntary Civil Commitment: Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Protections,” Health Care; Law, Constitution & Civil Liberties, 24 May 2023, https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47571

[4] “CCHR Encourages Italy to Complete Full Mental Health Reform After Court Ruling on Forced Treatment,” European Times, 5 June 2025, https://europeantimes.news/2025/06/cchr-italy-full-mental-health-reform-court-ruling-forced-treatment/

[5] Eva Brekke, et al., “Patients’ experiences with coercive mental health treatment in Flexible Assertive Community Treatment: a qualitative study,” BMC Psychiatry, 18 Oct. 2023, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37853402/

[6] Beate Wild, et al., “Reduction of coercion in psychiatric hospitals: how can this be achieved?” The Lancet, Dec. 2023, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(23)00214-4/fulltext

[7] https://www.cchrint.org/2025/05/17/apa-faces-outrage-child-deaths-mental-health-failure/

[8] “King’s Birthday Honours: Advocate dedicates award to survivors of abuse in care,” RNZ, 2 June 2025, https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/562817/king-s-birthday-honours-advocate-dedicates-award-to-survivors-of-abuse-in-care; “Abuses in psychiatric care: The shameful story of the Lake Alice Child and Adolescent unit in Aotearoa New Zealand,” Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 2023 Sep;57(9):1193-1197, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10466991/; https://www.cchrint.org/2021/07/01/cchrs-work-acknowledged-nz-inquiry-lake-alice-psychiatric-child-torture/

[9] “CCHR Encourages Italy to Complete Full Mental Health Reform After Court Ruling on Forced Treatment,” European Times, 5 June 2025, https://europeantimes.news/2025/06/cchr-italy-full-mental-health-reform-court-ruling-forced-treatment/

MULTIMEDIA

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NEWS SOURCE: Citizens Commission on Human Rights

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Citizens Commission on Human Rights), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

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Start Your Engines and Join the Race: Help Create a Drug-Free World

BERGAMO, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- Bikers throughout Northern Italy are getting their bikes ready for the race for a Drug-Free Italy. Held to promote the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse, the 7th annual national Say No to Drugs Motogiro Nazionale (motorbike tour) races in support of the UN's theme for 2024: "The evidence is clear: Invest in prevention." The race is organized by Dico No Alla Droga (Say No to Drugs) Italy-the national chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

This year's UN campaign emphasizes the need "to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of drug use, including physical and psychological harm, overdose deaths, and societal problems," and "the need for evidence-based policies based on science, human rights, compassion, and knowledge." It is for exactly this reason that the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative exists.

"People are not well informed about what drugs are and what they do," says the campaign's national executive director for Italy, Oreste Depaoli. "There are active campaigns in our society that make it look like drugs do no harm," he says. But if people understand what drugs are and what they really lead to, they can make their own decisions on this vital subject and opt to live drug-free.

The world's largest nongovernmental drug education program, active in 196 nations, the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative has been filling the need for evidence-based drug education for more than 25 years. Experience has proven that scare tactics don't work, but factual, specific, and well-documented information does, which is exactly what the Foundation's Truth About Drugs initiative provides.

The Say No to Drugs Motogiro Nazionale is one of many drug prevention events taking place this month throughout Italy. The work of Oreste Depaoli and Dico No Alla Droga Italy to save youth throughout the country from the devastating effects of drugs is featured in an episode of Voices for Humanity on the Scientology Network.

Scientology Churches and Scientologists support the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, whose materials are provided free of charge to schools, civic groups, governments, law enforcement, and individuals and institutions in the private sector. The Truth About Drugs program is inspired by author, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, who found that "the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

To learn more, take the free drug education course on the Foundation for a Drug-Free World website, watch the Drug-Free World public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs-Real People, Real Stories documentary on the Scientology Network, and episodes of Voices for Humanity to see the program in action. The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streams at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

For more information or to get involved, visit the Drug-Free World website, or contact the nearest Church of Scientology.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

https://www.facebook.com/ASDDICONOALLADROGA

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/oreste-depaoli.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

Bikers throughout Northern Italy are getting their bikes ready for the race for a Drug-Free Italy. Held to promote the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse, the 7th annual national Say No to Drugs Motogiro Nazionale (motorbike tour) is organized by Dico No Alla Droga (Say No to Drugs) Italy-the national chapter of Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

Related link: https://www.drugfreeworld.org/

Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief Hosted by Church of Scientology of Rome Points to Solutions for Strengthening This Right Internationally

ROME, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- University professors, government officials, parliamentarians and religious representatives gathered at the Church of Scientology in Rome last month for an international conference on freedom of religion or belief in Italy, throughout Europe and the world.

Entitled Freedom of Belief and Religious Recognition: Current State and Perspectives, the conference was organized in collaboration with the Observatory of Religious Entities, Ecclesiastical Patrimony, and Nonprofit Organizations of the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli of Naples, Italy.

Some European Union member states have drawn criticism for neglecting freedom of religion or belief within their borders. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports that this neglect includes "restrictions on religious clothing, ritual slaughter, and so-called 'sects,' along with laws that target Muslims [and] impact Jews...." It documents that "individuals from religious minority groups, particularly Jews and Muslims, reportedly are increasingly choosing to emigrate."

It was against this backdrop that the conference took place.

"Freedom of religion and respect for the beliefs of others are fundamental principles of the Church of Scientology as affirmed in the Creed of the Church of Scientology by Founder L. Ron Hubbard," said Lina Pirotta, representative of the Church of Scientology in Italy, in her welcome address to conference participants.

The conference consisted of two international round tables and a series of panel discussions hosted by experts in the field of religion who explored different aspects of religious freedom and the importance of protecting this right with emphasis on the nations of the European Union.

The first panel brought together Senator Lorena Rios Cuéllar, former director of religious affairs for the Colombian government; Professor José Daniel Pelayo Olmedo, deputy director general for coordination and promotion of religious freedom of the Spanish government; and Dr. Gary Vachicouras, from the Institute for Postgraduate Studies in Orthodox Theology in Geneva. Panelists described the current situation regarding freedom of religion in Colombia, Spain and Greece.

A secular state, Colombia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion individually and collectively. In Spain, there are 26,000 religious groups registered in the Register of Religious Bodies. Dr. Vachicouras emphasized that by making the principle of freedom of belief a priority or standard, many conflicts and problems arising from plurality can be resolved.

The second panel included U.S. attorney and constitutional expert Austin Hepworth; Prof. Juan Ferreiro Galguera, professor of church law at the University of Oviedo, Spain; and Prof. Vincent Berger, former jurisconsult at the European Court of Human Rights.

Austin Hepworth described how the principle of religious freedom is applied in the United States, including a mention of the 1948 U.S.-Italy Friendship Treaty, which established a relationship between the two countries based on the shared values of democracy, freedom, and respect for religious and human rights.

Prof. Ferreiro Galguera emphasized the difference between a secular state such as Spain, which respects and cooperates with religious communities, and secularist states such as France, which interfere with these rights. He emphasized that a state's tolerance of a religious denomination is not a substitute for the full religious recognition of that faith.

Professor Berger described remedies for limitations of religious freedom and problems of intolerance offered by the European Court of Human Rights when traditional channels fail.

The conference also included a discussion and analysis of religious freedom in Italy. Speakers included Maria D'Arienzo, professor of ecclesiastical, canonical, and confessional law at the University Federico II of Naples; Gianfranco Macrì, professor of intercultural law at the University of Salerno; and Francesco Sorvillo, associate professor of at the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli.

Their consensus was that Italy's current constitutional views on religious freedom are dated. Adopted in 1929, when Italy was still a kingdom, the law predates Italy's republican democracy and the pluralism in Italy today.

The second section of this panel featured Dr. Marco Respinti, editor-in-chief of Bitterwinter.org and the Journal of CESNUR; Dr. Nader Akkad, religious affairs advisor of the Grand Mosque of Rome; and Mother Anastasia, legal advisor of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese.

Mother Anastasia spoke of the hardships resulting from 13 years of efforts to obtain recognition in Italy for the Romanian Orthodox Church. Dr. Respinti described the impact of media on religion and how media outlets perceive religiosity. Dr. Akkad emphasized the importance of dialogue among members of different faiths.

The overriding consensus that emerged from the conference was the need for greater attention to religious freedom and measures to protect this freedom for individuals and organizations in Europe and throughout the world.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.scientologyreligion.org/religious-freedom/

VIDEO:

https://youtu.be/YFDBLZl_9xw?si=YZLxuOo1FpUzgqhc

https://www.scientology.tv/films/scientology-principles/the-creed-of-the-church-of-scientology-5565f7

University professors, government officials, parliamentarians and religious representatives gathered at the Church of Scientology in Rome last month for an international conference on freedom of religion or belief in Italy, throughout Europe and the world.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Honored for Their Help in the Aftermath of Last Year’s Devastating Floods

FORLI, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- On the anniversary of the May 2023 Emilia-Romagna floods, Forlì Mayor Gian Luca Zattini held an event to express his city's gratitude to the many volunteers who responded to help the region recover from the unprecedented disaster. Proud of their contribution, the Volunteer Ministers of the Scientology Churches of Italy were among those honored by the mayor and officials of several cities in the province of Forlì-Cesena.

In May 2023, rainfall inundated the region. Rivers overflowed, triggering landslides across Emilia-Romagna, displacing some 1,000 residents. Homes, businesses and agricultural land across the region suffered severe water damage, contributing to an estimated €8.8 billion in damage and economic loss. The one bright spot was the outpouring of help from the voluntary disaster response community.

Flood response is arduous but vital work: digging homes and businesses out of the mud, removing debris, shoring up damaged walls, removing and drying out carpets and furniture, disposing of flooring and walls contaminated with mold.

For weeks, Volunteer Ministers served in the region, taking on these tasks and distributing food, water and supplies. But they also provided the unique spiritual assistance they are known for.

Volunteer Ministers are trained to administer assists, techniques developed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard that help people overcome the emotional and spiritual factors in stress and trauma. They used these techniques to help victims overcome fear, anguish, and hopelessness and restore peace of mind, making it easier for those who lost so much to deal with immediate challenges and plan for the future.

After the celebration to honor those who responded to the disaster in 2023, the Volunteer Ministers were invited to set up their signature yellow tents in Piazza Saffi, the main plaza of the city, to introduce residents and those attending the celebration from nearby cities to the Scientology Tools for Life. These are 19 free online courses that provide Scientology technology for bettering life's challenges, including relationship difficulties and overcoming barriers to setting and achieving goals.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers program is a religious social service, developed in the mid-1970s. In an essay announcing the program, Mr. Hubbard wrote: "If one does not like the crime, cruelty, injustice and violence of this society, he can do something about it. He can become a Volunteer Minister and help civilize it, bring it conscience and kindness and love and freedom from travail by instilling into it trust, decency, honesty and tolerance."

Their motto is no matter the circumstances, "Something can be done about it."

Inspired by Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, who called on Scientologists to redouble their efforts to aid their fellow man in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, Volunteer Ministers of Italy formed Pro.Civi.Co.S, the Civil Defense Volunteers of the Scientology Community, which was entered into the registry of the National Department of Civil Defense the following year. Over the past two decades, Pro.Civi.Co.S and the Volunteer Ministers of Italy have responded to disasters at home and abroad, including the L'Aquila and Amatrice earthquakes in Italy, the South Asian tsunami of 2004, the Haiti earthquake of 2010, the 2019 Albania earthquake, and the 2020 Croatia earthquake.

Throughout the pandemic, they established and ran help lines, provided assistance to healthcare workers, saw to the needs of their communities, and sanitized churches, mosques, and other houses of worship, making it possible for them to safely serve their congregations. Their work is featured in the new feature-length film Operation: Do Something About It on the Scientology Network.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.volunteerministers.org

MULTIMEDIA:

https://www.volunteerministers.org/training/

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/operation-do-something-about-it.html

https://youtu.be/Su1NKhyhIp8?si=LnIsxvJD8A47C7QI

On the anniversary of the May 2023 Emilia-Romagna floods, Forlì Mayor Gian Luca Zattini held an event to express his city's gratitude to the many volunteers who responded to help the region recover from the unprecedented disaster. Proud of their contribution, the Volunteer Ministers of the Scientology Churches of Italy were among those honored by the mayor and officials of several cities in the province of Forlì-Cesena.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

‘It Takes a Community to Protect Kids From the Harmful Effects of Drugs,’ Say the Volunteers of Say No to Drugs Puglia

BARLETTA, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- A group known as Say No to Drugs (Dico No Alla Droga) has been active in drug prevention for more than 15 years throughout Puglia, the region that forms the heel of the boot of Italy. Joined by a corps of volunteers from the Church of Scientology Mission of Barletta, they contacted businesses and briefed individuals on the Truth About Drugs campaign to help kids decide to live an active, drug-free life.

Wearing their signature teal T-shirts and caps, they loaded up with sets of drug education booklets and brought them to popular shops in the city center to ensure youth have the information they need to make the self-determined decision to live drug-free.

Shop owners and clerks were eager to display sets of Truth About Drugs materials on their counters for customers to take. They even wore the Truth About Drugs T-shirts and caps to help the volunteers promote the campaign and encouraged customers to take copies of the booklets to read and share with others.

Say No to Drugs Puglia also provides local schools with drug education booklets, DVDs and a curriculum teachers can use to engage children on this vital subject. Many local schools use these materials for drug education classes, beginning in the sixth grade, when kids typically have their first contact with substances such as alcohol and marijuana.

Schools ask them for additional drug information materials to hand out to kids for carrying out research and group projects. And the Say No to Drugs team frequently holds drug prevention lectures and conferences to educate anyone willing to take action to help youth decide to live drug-free.

Scientology Churches and Scientologists support the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, whose materials are provided free of charge to schools, civic groups, governments, law enforcement, and individuals and institutions in the private sector. The Truth About Drugs program is inspired by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard's research, that "the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

To learn more, take the free drug education course on the Foundation for a Drug-Free World website, watch the Drug-Free World public service announcements and The Truth About Drugs documentary on the Scientology Network, and episodes of Voices for Humanity to see the program in action. The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and streams at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps, and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

For more information or to get involved, visit the Drug-Free World website, or contact the nearest Scientology Church or Mission.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.drugfreeworld.org

http://www.barletta.scientologymissions.org/

https://www.facebook.com/diconoalladroga.puglia/

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-truth-about-drugs.html

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/they-said-they-lied.html

A group known as Say No to Drugs (Dico No Alla Droga) has been active in drug prevention for more than 15 years throughout Puglia, the region that forms the heel of the boot of Italy. Joined by a corps of volunteers from the Church of Scientology Mission of Barletta, they contacted businesses and briefed individuals on the Truth About Drugs campaign to help kids decide to live an active, drug-free life.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Psychiatry and Human Rights: The Past, Present and Future

FLORENCE, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- Forced treatment, threats, restraints, crippling sedation: Despite past reforms, the horrors of the past are still stark facts of life for those caught in Italy's mental health system. This was the theme of a demonstration at the 2024 Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society in Florence. Both events were organized by Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a mental health watchdog founded in 1969 by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology.

CCHR brought their protest to the 2024 Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society in Florence to demand attendees take responsibility for ending psychiatric abuse. They insisted the congress take action to ensure full compliance with UN and WHO guidance issued in October 2023 to end coercive practices in the field of mental health.

Hundreds demonstrated in the heart of the city to press home these demands. Among those attending the demonstrations were two psychiatrists who were warned by congress organizers to ignore the protest, but they wanted CCHR to know that they agree that there is too much coercion in psychiatry.

The march was followed by the opening of the Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Exhibit, sponsored by the Municipality of Florence April 5 to 9 at the historic Duomo Auditorium.

Among the visitors to the exhibit was a nurse who told CCHR volunteers it is very important to let people know that physical restraints are a human rights abuse and that in her work, she sees drugs prescribed for dubious diagnoses. A student thanked CCHR for educating him on the danger of psychotropic drugs. Visitors were shocked to learn Italian children are still being prescribed drugs with black box labels (labels that warn users of the danger of administering these drugs to children and youths). A nurse went through the exhibit and then shared her own experience with psychiatry: She had been castigated for refusing to assist a psychiatrist in performing electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) on a patient.

Psychiatry: An Industry of Death Exhibit and a film by the same name document the origins of psychiatry from the infamous Bedlam asylum in the Middle Ages to psychiatry's popularizing eugenics - a pseudoscience that held that people of "inferior" races should be eliminated. It reveals how psychiatrists were the men behind Hitler, creating the system for implementing the "final solution." And it brings the industry's history to the present day, where millions of children are placed on mind-altering drugs simply for exhibiting normal childhood behavior. Mental health professionals, survivors and their family members give harrowing accounts of the multiple abuses perpetrated on them and an unsuspecting public in the form of mass-drugging of children and adults, forced institutionalization and torturous electroshock treatment for the sake of profit.

The work of Citizens Commission on Human Rights is inspired by visionary, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard who urged Scientologists to expose and help abolish any and all physically damaging practices in the field of mental health, help clean up and keep clean the field of mental health, and bring about an atmosphere of safety and security in the field of mental health by eradicating its abuses and brutality.

For more information, visit the CCHR website or watch the film Psychiatry: An Industry of Death on the Scientology Network.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.cchr.org

https://www.cchrint.org

MULTIMEDIA

https://www.cchr.org/documentaries/

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/cchr-documentaries/psychiatry-an-industry-of-death.html

Forced treatment, threats, restraints, crippling sedation: Despite past reforms, the horrors of the past are still stark facts of life for those caught in Italy's mental health system. This was the theme of a demonstration at the 2024 Congress of the Schizophrenia International Research Society in Florence. Both events were organized by Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a mental health watchdog founded in 1969 by psychiatrist Thomas Szasz and the Church of Scientology.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Church of Scientology of Milano Shares Tools for Helping Victims Recover from the Emotional and Spiritual Consequences of Disaster

MILAN, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- A World Civil Defense Day seminar for first responders at the Church of Scientology of Milano shared unique and simple technology for helping relieve the emotional and spiritual trauma that can affect disaster victims long after the incident is over. Studies show that not knowing how to help victims deal with these needs can take a toll on emergency response personnel: Their concerns over their ability to help can be a factor in burnout.

The seminar, held in the Chapel of the Church of Scientology of Milano, was organized by the Civil Protection Volunteers of the Scientology Community, Pro.CoviCo.S. Volunteers from five civil defense organizations attended: the Croce Viola Milano Ambulance Service, the Croce Verde Sempione, Associazione Nazionale Carabinieri ANC, 168 Nucleo VPC and Gruppo Comunale Volontari di Protezione Civile di Milano. These are men and women the community depends on whenever disasters strike, and the Pro.CiviCo.S volunteers wanted to provide them with resources to help them in their work.

A Scientology minister trained those attending the seminar on how to administer simple Scientology assists - techniques developed by humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard that address the emotional and spiritual factors in stress and trauma.

The civil protection volunteers teamed up and practiced the assists on each other.

"I immediately had great physical relief. It relaxed me a lot," said one. "It was very easy," said another. Yet another appreciated how good it felt "to see you are helping."

Each participant was presented with the Volunteer Ministers booklet Assists for Illness and Injury and was invited to log onto the Scientology website to enroll on this and 18 other Scientology Tools for Life courses, available free of charge in 17 languages.

With the events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige called on Scientologists to redouble their efforts to aid their fellow man. He issued a directive entitled "The Wake-Up Call," which inspired astonishing growth within the Volunteer Minister program. In response, Volunteer Ministers of Italy formed Pro.Civi.Co.S, which was entered into the registry of the National Department of Civil Defense the following year.

Over the past two decades, Pro.Civi.Co.S and the Volunteer Ministers of Italy have responded to disasters at home and abroad, including the L'Aquila and Amatrice earthquakes in Italy, the South Asian tsunami of 2004, the Haiti earthquake of 2010, the 2019 Albania earthquake, and the 2020 Croatia earthquake.

Throughout the pandemic, they established and ran help lines, provided assistance to healthcare workers, saw to the needs of their communities, and sanitized churches, mosques, and other houses of worship, making it possible for them to safely serve their congregations. Their work is featured in the new feature-length film Operation: Do Something About It on the Scientology Network.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientology.org/churches/ideal-orgs/milano/

https://www.scientology-milano.it/

https://www.procivicos.it/protezione-civile-scientology/

https://www.procivicos.org/

https://www.volunteerministers.org

MULTIMEDIA:

https://www.youtube.com/@procivicosonlus3537

https://www.scientology.org/2023-celebrating-the-ias/#volunteer-ministers

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/operation-do-something-about-it.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6sxsSt2Srg

A World Civil Defense Day seminar for first responders at the Church of Scientology of Milano shared unique and simple technology for helping relieve the emotional and spiritual trauma that can affect disaster victims long after the incident is over. Studies show that not knowing how to help victims deal with these needs can take a toll on emergency response personnel: Their concerns over their ability to help can be a factor in burnout.

Related link: https://www.scientology-milano.it/

Join the Scientology Network on Valentine’s Day for a Story of True Love and Artisanal Italian Chocolate

CATANIA, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- What could be more appropriate for Valentine's Day than true love and chocolate? The Scientology Network shares the story of Armando Siracusano and Gabriella Comis - from their falling in love at a bakery to the many barriers they had to overcome on their way to creating the future of their dreams.

Siracusano was born in Catania, Italy. Inspired by his grandmother's fresh-baked bread, he became a baker by the time he was 15. When Comis entered his shop several years later, it was love at first sight. But her father was dead set against their relationship. The young couple ran away together and had many challenges to overcome on their way to success.

The turning point came when Siracusano tasted pure chocolate for the first time and fell in love with the confection. After he studied with some of the most skilled chocolatiers in the world, the couple created their shop, Cioccolato e Gelato, specializing in gelato and every imaginable form of chocolate delicacy, pastry and cake.

Their "happy ever after" continues to this day. With their love for one another and their pastry skills and business acumen, they have established Cioccolato e Gelato as one of the premiere artisanal pastry shops in Catania.

Watch their episode of Meet a Scientologist on the Scientology Network for an enticingly delicious, irresistibly delightful story of sweet success.

The Scientology Network debuted in March 2018. Since launching with a special featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, the Scientology Network has been viewed in over 240 countries and territories in 17 languages. Satisfying the curiosity of people about Scientology and Founder L. Ron Hubbard, the network takes viewers across six continents, spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists, showing the Church as a global organization, and presenting its social betterment programs that have touched the lives of millions worldwide. The network also showcases documentaries by independent filmmakers who represent a cross-section of cultures and faiths, but share a common purpose of uplifting communities.

Broadcast from Scientology Media Productions, the Church's global media center in Los Angeles, the Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.scientology.tv/series/meet-a-scientologist/armando-siracusano-gabriella-comis.html

https://meetascientologist.tv

What could be more appropriate for Valentine's Day than true love and chocolate? The Scientology Network shares the story of Armando Siracusano and Gabriella Comis - from their falling in love at a bakery to the many barriers they had to overcome on their way to creating the future of their dreams.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Church of Scientology of Rome Promotes a Culture of Human Rights for a Better Word

ROME, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- The Church of Scientology of Rome, in coordination with the Association of Arts, Culture and Human Rights, organized a celebration and awards ceremony in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

They presented "Human Rights Defender" awards to individuals who set an example of helping others through their human rights advocacy: Alessandra Morelli, who served for decades as delegate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); world-renowned Moroccan musician Nour Eddine Fatty; musician and India's cultural ambassador to Italy Rashmi Bhatt; and actor and philanthropist Paolo Pesce Nanna.

Also commended were the Demetra Borbonica Cultural Association, which supports and disseminates human rights in the field of the arts; the Prosperity and Social Promotion Association for its fight to free children from slavery; and Felix Adado and Hassan Batal who help orient immigrants to the customs and mores of their new home.

Ms. Morelli spoke of the heartache of displaced and stateless persons that she chronicled in her book Mani Che Poteggono (Hands That Protect). She had ample experience to draw from, representing the UNHCR at some of the world's most notorious refugee zones, including Sri Lanka, Georgia, Yemen, Somalia, Niger and Afghanistan. She also served in Greece when nearly a million refugees escaped to that country and began their trek through Europe in search of security and freedom.

Musicians Nour Eddine Fatty and Rashmi Bhatt brought far-away cultures to life through their musical performances. And actor Paolo Pesce Nanna spoke of his new charity to help victims of the Morocco earthquake.

Salameh Ashour, professor of Islamic culture, described how intolerance is not inherent - children have to be indoctrinated into prejudice. Raniero Ranieri, president of AVIS (Italian Association of Voluntary Blood Donors) Rome, stressed the importance of blood drives for securing the right to life for those needing transfusion. And Ikhtiar Gul Kaiam of Italy's Afghan community spoke of the plight of the women of his country.

The Church of Scientology and Scientologists are ardent supporters of human rights and they sponsor one of the world's most comprehensive human rights education and public information initiatives - United for Human Rights and its program for young people Youth for Human Rights. These nonprofits aim to create a sea change by teaching young people everywhere their inalienable rights, thus creating an entire generation of leaders who will demand full implementation of the 30 UDHR articles.

In crafting the creed of the Scientology religion, author, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard stressed the belief "that all men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights."

As to which of these rights is most important, Mr. Hubbard expressed a unique perspective in a lecture he recorded in 1958, stating "the biggest right there is, is not the right to vote, is not the right to freedom of speech or press or religion or anything else. The biggest right there is in human rights is the right to help."

In celebration of this 75th anniversary, Scientology Churches, missions and groups organized petition drives, human rights marches, and other public awareness campaigns.

Scientology Network has produced a series of short documentaries on human rights advocates from Guatemala to Taiwan, Colombia to South Africa, and Pakistan to Morocco who share how they have used these initiatives to create meaningful change.

The Story of Human Rights, a brief documentary on the history of human rights and its state in the world today, also airs on the network.

The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms.

For more information, contact the nearest Scientology Church or Mission or enroll on the free online human rights course, available in 17 languages on the United for Human Rights website.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.humanrights.com

https://en.scientology-roma.org/

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

MULTIMEDIA:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-story-of-human-rights.html

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/documentaries/the-story-of-human-rights.html

The Church of Scientology of Rome, in coordination with the Association of Arts, Culture and Human Rights, organized a celebration and awards ceremony in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Church of Scientology Mission of Modena Dedicates New Home

MODENA, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- The city of Modena represents the best of the old and new. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its architectural gems and museums displaying some of the best-loved masterpieces of the 16th century, it is also the car capital of Italy. Birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, automobile manufacturing, speed and precision are part of its DNA.

October marked the 42nd anniversary of the Church of Scientology Mission of Modena, one of the premiere Scientology Missions of Italy. And on October 29, hundreds of Scientologists and guests joined the executives and staff of the Mission to celebrate the dedication of their new headquarters.

The Mission was welcomed by local businesses, nonprofits and community leaders.

Mr. Alessandro Crotti, an entrepreneur who works in the renewable energy sector, learned about Scientology two years ago when he was introduced to the groundbreaking administrative technology developed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. Crotti has used the skills he learned not only to better handle production and distribution situations but also to improve relationships with others. And he spoke of how it has helped him face whatever comes his way with greater clarity and confidence.

Mr. Andrea Ferrarini is president of the civil protection group Radio Club Contea Nord of Bondeno. Ferrarini first worked with Modena's Scientology Volunteer Ministers responding to the earthquake that devastated the Emilia Romagna region of Italy in 2012. He spoke of how much he valued their help in the midst of such destruction.

Mr. Benito Toschi is founder of the local chapter of ANFASS which provides help to people with disabilities. He spoke of the many projects the Scientology Mission has supported to the benefit of the people ANFASS serves.

The final speaker was Ms. Simona Scattolin, an official from the municipality of Forlì, some 70 miles from Modena. Floods inundated the entire region in May and June, ravaging the homes and businesses of her city. Scientology Volunteer Ministers from Modena helped Forlì families with the grueling task of digging their homes and businesses out from the mud, salvaging what could be saved, and disposing of waterlogged flooring, walls and furniture.

Ms. Scattolin presented a plaque congratulating the Mission for its 42nd anniversary and its beautiful new home, extending heartfelt thanks to the Scientology Volunteer Ministers for their extraordinary and tireless help to the city of Forlì.

The staff then joined Mission Executive Director Simona Gorzanelli in opening the Mission and invited guests to tour. They welcome those new to Scientology to visit their public information display and learn more about what Scientology offers.

The Mission of Modena is equipped with every facility needed to provide the full array of introductory Scientology services. These include the popular Life Improvement Courses through which anyone may find workable solutions to common challenges of everyday life-such as how to improve a marriage, successfully raise children, increase personal motivation, and set and achieve goals.

The new Mission also offers seminars on a wide range of topics, including personal efficiency. The Hubbard Dianetics Seminar is based on Mr. Hubbard's watershed work Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, the bestselling book that reveals the source of one's nightmares, unreasonable fears and irrational behavior-the reactive mind-and how to conquer it.

Additionally, the Mission provides spiritual counseling, known as auditing, and the Purification Program, developed by Mr. Hubbard to free individuals from the mental and spiritual damage caused by drugs and toxins.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.volunteerministers.org

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/scientologists-bring-help-and-peace-of-mind-to-disaster-victims.html

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su1NKhyhIp8

The city of Modena represents the best of the old and new. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its architectural gems and museums displaying some of the best-loved masterpieces of the 16th century, it is also the car capital of Italy. Birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, automobile manufacturing, speed and precision are part of its DNA.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

How a Bike-Loving Italian Anti-Drug Activist is Helping Italy Live Drug-Free

BERGAMO, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- Motorbikes roared through the city of Bergamo this June and leaned into the curves around Lake Iseo on one of Italy's most breathtaking and challenging highways. The bikers wore bright green vests bearing the logo of Foundation for a Drug-Free World proclaiming "Dico No alla Droga" (Say No to Drugs) on the 6th annual Motogiro for a Drug-Free Italy. This and many other drug prevention events over the summer and throughout the year are featured on the Scientology Network in an episode of Voices for Humanity on the work of a team of drug education and prevention activists led by Drug-Free World Italy Executive Director Oreste Depaoli.

Depaoli recalls his childhood, hanging out with older boys who introduced him to using drugs when he was 12. An addict by 19, he overdosed and nearly died. And he realized that if he continued on this path, it would kill him. That was in 1992.

He quit cold turkey and has never looked back. But many of his friends died of overdose or drug-related accidents and he wanted to do something effective to handle the blatant false propaganda that leads so many youth down the same dangerous path as the one he took. So when he learned about Foundation for a Drug-Free World, he immediately came on board.

"More and more people are dying of drug overdose in Italy every year," says Depaoli. "Where there are drugs, there are guns, crime and death. ... People are not well informed about what drugs are and what they do. And there are active campaigns in our society that make it look like drugs do no harm. ... If people knew what drugs really lead to, they could choose not to take them."

The Truth About Drugs campaign of Foundation for a Drug-Free World provides that information. Drug-Free World Foundation is an international nonprofit organization that partners with some 1,200 organizations, and government and law enforcement agencies worldwide to educate the public on the danger of drugs.

Using the resources from Foundation for a Drug-Free World, volunteers in countries across the globe are reaching their communities with this vital information. Foundation for a Drug-Free World also provides drug education eCourses free of charge through the Drug-Free World website.

Thanks to the support of the Church of Scientology and Scientologists, the Foundation provides the Truth About Drugs secular program and materials free of charge to drug educators worldwide. Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard noted the role substance abuse plays in the disintegration of the social fabric. He wrote, "Research has demonstrated that the single most destructive element present in our current culture is drugs."

Voices for Humanity is available on Scientology Network on DIRECTV Channel 320, DIRECTV STREAM, AT&T U-verse and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/oreste-depaoli.html

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO:

https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/oreste-depaoli.html

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n0GFfmxTwZA

Motorbikes roared through the city of Bergamo this June and leaned into the curves around Lake Iseo on one of Italy's most breathtaking and challenging highways. The bikers wore bright green vests bearing the logo of Foundation for a Drug-Free World proclaiming "Dico No alla Droga" (Say No to Drugs) on the 6th annual Motogiro for a Drug-Free Italy. This and many other drug prevention events are featured on the Scientology Network in an episode of Voices for Humanity.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

The 60th Anniversary Celebration of the Producers’ Consortium for Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG debuted two new projects

SOLIGHETTO, Treviso /ScoopCloud/ -- At Villa Brandolini, on the occasion of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the birth of the Consorzio Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, two new projects were presented, of which the first, the Green Academy, will be an incubator for research, studies, content and new ideas that will enable producers to work in an ever more structured, consolidated and concrete way for the sustainability of the region.

The creation of the Green Academy marks an important point in the continuum that the Consortium has been pursuing for at least a decade, with an eye towards the future and the enhancement and conservation of the environment, of the landscape, and of viticulture.

"We are proud and highly motivated to proceed in this direction: the Green Academy offers a path which will allow us to take full advantage of our knowledge in collaboration with experts in the various sectors that this subject involves," states the Consortium's President, Elvira Bortolomiol. She continues: "Our zone and our community are precious gifts, and it is for their benefit that we have the duty to avail ourselves to the best of our ability of our expertise and the resources we have, so as to be able to offer a real contribution to our terroir and also be a point of reference for other regions."

"Our Green Academy will study the most urgent topics that the global environmental agenda has to deal with, and then tailor them for our zone," says Diego Tomasi, Director of the Consorzio di Tutela del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco. "First of all, climate change: we are already working together with Banca Prealpi and the University of Cantabria, with the objective of creating models for forecasting any extreme atmospheric events that may occur in our hills between the present and 2030, 2050 or even 2100."

A group of internationally renowned Egyptologists has studied, specifically for the Consortium, how the Ancient Egyptians succeeded in cultivating vines in extreme climatic conditions; their research goes as far back as 3000 years B.C.. The complete results, expected in mid-2023, may give concrete clues for putting mitigatory actions into effect on our hillsides.

"But we're already doing something tangible with regard to drought," Tomasi adds, "by focusing our attention on recuperating, conserving and reusing rain and spring water." Indeed, in the 5th tender for our supply chain, which was presented very recently, the Consorzio included a specific, generous sum for financing the creation of small basins designed for collecting water from corrivation; the University of Padua will be responsible for this activity. Moreover, the plan is to recuperate water diverted from the Piave river, an activity which the Consortium is working towards in conjunction with the Municipalities in the Denomination, trade bodies, and the Association for Reclamation of the Left Bank of the Piave.

Another important topic with regards to sustainability is land use, which will be dealt with by the Green Academy thanks to the creation of a permanent observatory. As of today, the area of the Denomination is used 30% for viticulture, 57% for woodland, 9% is destined for other uses and 4% for urban use. There therefore exists a rich biodiversity (one of the reasons that the zone was able to gain recognition from UNESCO), and this must be protected. A feasibility study has already begun, in close cooperation with other partners (the Municipality of Valdobbiadene, Coldiretti, Banca Prealpi, the UNESCO Association), for traffic that totally excludes the transport of goods on large trucks or in traditional rail wagons.

To deal with these subjects, the Consortium has for some time now been reinforcing its know-how, especially in the technical department.

The Consortium's consolidated activities in terms of environmental health continues, such as the partnership with the Symbola Foundation and updating the Viticultural Protocol. In particular, belonging to Symbola, an organisation that has grouped together for several years now, includes Italy's outstanding businesses and other bodies to promote their quality and support their sustainable behaviour, is very much in line with the Consortium's goals.

A further objective of the Consortium is to involve the new generations, to whom the future of this Denomination will be entrusted. That is what lies behind the idea of the Wine Tourism Lab, whose dual objective is to function as a link between the various professional figures in the region and at the same time create greater awareness among young people of the wider opportunities that this zone will offer in the years to come. Not just with wine but - alongside it - also with its landscape, beauty, health, food, leisure and nature; all elements that blend together in a single concept: wine tourism.

The Consortium is therefore taking on the role of promoter of activities aimed at also expressing the quality of our terroir through the cultural and educational development of the generations that will be called upon to run the Conegliano Valdobbiadene zone as a whole. We must have a wider and more far-sighted vision of the Denomination's potential, while being aware that Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG will always represent the flagship of these hills and that it is the wine that will give rise to new economic opportunities.

The Consortium is now laying the foundations for giving the stakeholders in the region increasing competence in dealing with visitors, especially as regards hospitality that highlights the winemaking heart of the region. To achieve this objective, it will be necessary to concentrate on training all the professional figures involved so that the level of what is offered stands out for its high profile and its ability to be constantly in touch with the times.

The Consorzio di Tutela del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG is the private body, founded in 1962, that guarantees and controls adherence to the production regulations for D.O.C.G. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore. The sparkling wines produced on the hillsides between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the Province of Treviso, obtained Denominazione di Origine Controllata status in 1969 and the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita in 2009. The production zone includes 15 municipal areas: Conegliano, San Vendemiano, Colle Umberto, Vittorio Veneto, Tarzo, Cison di Valmarino, San Pietro di Feletto, Refrontolo, Susegana, Pieve di Soligo, Farra di Soligo, Follina, Miane, Vidor and Valdobbiadene.

The Consortium, whose current President is Elvira Bortolomiol, has its headquarters in the village of Solighetto in Pieve di Soligo. It groups together 198 sparkling wine producers, 337 vinifying companies and 3,400 families of vine-growers, all of whom are involved in producing Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore. It operates principally in three areas: protection and promotion of the product, both in Italy and abroad; encouraging knowledge of the product through educational activities and the organization of events; and relations with the press. It also offers technical assistance to its members, from the vineyard to the winery.

Connect with the Consorzio on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or visit https://www.prosecco.it/en/ to learn more about the region and its sparkling wines.

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEtmAVlkxAU&t=9s

At Villa Brandolini, on the occasion of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the birth of the Consorzio Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, two new projects were presented, of which the first, the Green Academy, will be an incubator for research, studies, content and new ideas that will enable producers to work in an ever more structured, consolidated and concrete way for the sustainability of the region.

Related link: http://www.prosecco.it/en/

Scientology Volunteers Help Neighbors Battered by Record Italian Floods

SENIGALLIA, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- Tragedy struck the commune of Senigallia, and local Scientologists responded immediately to help the community recover from the worst floods ever to hit the town. Ever since the eastern coast of Italy was devastated by a flash flood September 16, Scientology Volunteer Ministers have been hard at work providing help.

Volunteer Ministers from the Church of Scientology Mission of Senigallia responded immediately, helping their city dig out from the mud. They have been joined by Volunteer Ministers from the Churches of Scientology of Padova and Rome.

Some of the worst of the recent flooding in Italy hit the town of Senigallia, where the River Misa overflowed its banks.

Although alerted to rain, it was far greater than predicted. Local residents did not expect the violence of the storm, which dumped between 16 and 19 inches of rain on the region in two or three hours. An Interior Ministry official in Ancona described the rainfall as a "water bomb that exploded." A local mayor said it was more like a tsunami. In just a few hours, the region was inundated with as much rainfall as it usually receives in six months.

Streets became rivers that carried away everything in their path. At least 10 people died.

When floodwaters receded, the cleanup began, and the Scientology Volunteer Ministers responded immediately and have been helping their community dig out from the mud and water damage ever since.

Whether serving in their communities or on the other side of the world, the motto of the Scientology Volunteer Minister is "Something can be done about it." The program, created by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard in the mid-1970s, is sponsored by the Church of Scientology International as a religious social service and constitutes one of the world's most significant independent relief forces.

The Volunteer Minister "helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others."

The Scientology Network features Scientology: Tools for Life, an introduction to the basic principles and technology that comprise the training of the Volunteer Minister. These films present practical tools anybody may learn and use to overcome problems, live a happier life, and better the lives of those around them.

The Scientology Network is available on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at Scientology.tv, on mobile apps and via the Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV platforms. Since launching with a special episode featuring Scientology ecclesiastical leader Mr. David Miscavige, Scientology Network has been viewed in 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages.

LEARN MORE:

https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/

https://www.scientology.tv/films/scientology-principles/tools-for-life.html

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/nGRWeCFOtI8

Tragedy struck the commune of Senigallia, and local Scientologists responded immediately to help the community recover from the worst floods ever to hit the town. Ever since the eastern coast of Italy was devastated by a flash flood September 16, Scientology Volunteer Ministers have been hard at work providing help.

Related link: https://www.scientology.org/

Ida Gasparova is a Living Inspiration for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Rising Fashion Icons

MILAN, Italy /ScoopCloud/ -- Renowned European entrepreneur, model, and fashion icon, Ida Gasparova has proudly announced the launch of her new Capsule Collection under her fashion brand Incantevole Milano. In 2021, Ida ventured into entrepreneurship with her fashion line Incantevelo Milano, which is designed exclusively for young and fearless women. Prior to the launch of her fashion line in 2021, she had a very successful career as a model with extensive travel, and over the years, she has also turned into an animal rights activist and a globe trotter.

"The only thought in my mind while creating this fashion line was that women deserve to feel feminine and sensual while remaining classic," said Ida Gasparova, while talking about her fashion line Incantevelo Milano. "Incantevole is a timeless ode to Italian craft for the modern woman, and it offers minimal, yet distinctive luxury pieces that can be integrated effortlessly into any modern woman's wardrobe."

According to Ida, her brand is much more than just creating high-quality products as she wants to create a lifestyle brand that defines modern luxury.

Being an avid traveler, Ida Gasparova believes that travel is something greater than a journey of self-discovery. She believes that travel shapes the traveler's perceptions and helps them realize their true goals in life she has experienced this throughout her adventures. Being a successful European model, she used to travel almost six months of the year. Hailing from a small town in Slovakia, Ida is a living inspiration for many aspiring stars because she left home with only a small suitcase, but her dreams were always big.

Learn more: https://www.incantevolemilano.com/

To follow Ida and her brand on Instagram, please click the links below:

https://www.instagram.com/idagasparova/

https://www.instagram.com/incantevolemilano/

Renowned European entrepreneur, model, and fashion icon, Ida Gasparova has proudly announced the launch of her new Capsule Collection under her fashion brand Incantevole Milano. In 2021, Ida ventured into entrepreneurship with her fashion line Incantevelo Milano, which is designed exclusively for young and fearless women.

Related link: https://www.incantevolemilano.com/

Gulftech Acquires ABL S.p.A. – Announces Expansion into Fresh Cut Produce Market

DENVER, Colo. /ScoopCloud/ -- Gulftech International, Inc. ("Gulftech") based in Denver, Colorado, USA, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of ABL S.p.A. ("ABL" or the "Company"). The Gulftech family of companies are the world's recognized leaders in the engineering, manufacture, lease, sale and service of industrial equipment and components serving many of the world's most important food production and processing companies.

ABL, headquartered in Cavezzo, Modena, Italy, is a global leader in the design, manufacture and servicing of fruit processing equipment.

Founded in 1978, by Carlo Ascari and with a minority participation of the private equity fund NEIP III (ITAGO), the Company has earned an outstanding reputation as a market leader in the fresh cut produce market. Committed to innovation and dedicated to customer relationships, ABL has a long history of providing high quality machinery with extraordinary customer service.

"ABL's award-winning innovative designs, outstanding product quality and reputation as a family owned and operated business in the fruit processing industry made them a very attractive integration for Gulftech," said Steven Ferrell, CEO of Gulftech. "The investment in ABL represents an important expansion of Gulftech's capabilities, significantly growing our presence in the fresh cut market segment. We could not be more excited to partner with Carlo, Daniela, Luca and the entire ABL organization. Together, we will provide customers a broader portfolio of products and services, and deeper engineering capabilities for future product development."

"Being a family-owned business, partnered with their extensive experience in the development, manufacture and service of food processing equipment, Gulftech is a perfect partner for ABL, my family, our management team, our employees and our customers," said Carlo Ascari, Founder of ABL. "We are proud of what we have built over the last 40 years and are excited to be a part of Gulftech and its family of companies."

The Ascari family and NEIP III (ITAGO) have been assisted by Corus Corporate Finance S.p.A. as financial advisor and Pavia & Ansaldo as legal advisor, while Gulftech has been advised by Jones Day and Deloitte.

Additional information on ABL can be found on its website at https://www.abl-fruit-machinery.com/ while further information on Gulftech and its family of companies can be found on its website at https://www.gulftech.com.

Gulftech International, Inc. ("Gulftech") based in Denver, Colorado, USA, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of ABL S.p.A. ("ABL" or the "Company"). The Gulftech family of companies are the world's recognized leaders in the engineering, manufacture, lease, sale and service of industrial equipment and components serving many of the world's most important food production and processing companies.

Related link: https://www.gulftech.com/