RUSSIA: MOSCOW: JAPANESE RELIGIOUS SECT HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE

(22 Mar 1995) Japanese/Nat The secretive religious sect raided by Japanese police Wednesday have held a news conference in Moscow denying their involvement in a gas attack on the Tokyo subway. The leader of Moscow's branch of Aum Shinri Kyo, Funihiro Dze, claimed that accusations against them are part of a plot by the Japanese government. Aum is thought to have about 40-thousand members - most of them in Russia. The Japanese religious sect Aum Shinri Kyo held a press conference at its Moscow base this afternoon during which they repudiated accusations that their sect was responsible for the gas attack on the Japanese metro. The sect, under attack in Russia for poisoning the minds of young people, also alleged they had themselves been attacked with the deadly nerve gas two months ago in the Russian capital. SOUNDBITE: (in Japanese) They say in Japan that Aum Shinri Kyo has spread poisonous gas. But that is far from being true. On the contrary, in Japan we have suffered gas attacks. SUPER CAPTION: Juyu, Director of Moscow Aum Shinri Kyo The group claims a membership of 30-thousand in Russia, where it began daily three hour Russian language broadcasts in 1993. Of the members at today's press conference, only two were allowed to speak to the press. SOUNDBITE: (in Russian) The same kind of gas has been used against the Russian branches, about which we complained to the prosecutor's office and the same gas is being used against the Japanese followers. SUPER CAPTION: Tatyana, Saman of Sect The majority of sect members in Russia are young people. SOUNDBITE:(in Russian) My whole world changed, I lost all feelings of aggression towards people, I got a kind of spiritual peace. SUPER CAPTION: One of Russian followers Russia's Youth Defence Committee, a public organisation, is suing Aum Shinri Kyo for damage to the mental and physical health of their members. The sect is also accused of deceiving the trust of their members and abusing their civil rights. Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: