The Australian O.T.O. Religious Vilification action which we have notified lashtal.com readers about for the past few years has concluded. The authors of the gaiaguys.net website, Dyson Devine and Vivienne Legg, were released from jail upon undertaking not to repeat, or assist others to publish, vilifying statements about Ordo Templi Orientis.

The Court had previously described the numerous comments by Devine and Legg on their website that O.T.O. was a paedophile and satanic network enjoying high level protection in the state of Victoria as "bizarre"; it found that Devine and Legg were guilty of inciting hatred, contempt, revulsion and ridicule of O.T.O. and its members on the grounds of their Thelemic beliefs, activities and practices.

The Court had previously determined that O.T.O. was a lawful religious organization, and Thelema a lawful religion.

While the Court acknowledged that "the damage has been done" and that the site and the allegations have been copied and spread over the Internet, O.T.O. is satisfied with the outcome, which has sent a clear and highly publicized message to the Australian community that the O.T.O. is a lawful and reputable organization which will defend itself, Thelema, and the rights and beliefs of its membership. We'll have to see how things go from here; we thank our counsel who went above and beyond the call of duty; we thank the international community who got behind our actions and gave us support and encouragement; and we thank our members - many of whom as a result of the impact of the vilifying materials on their personal and professional lives, have had to demonstrate true courage in the face of real adversity.

We will keep lashtal.com aware of any future developments. The following brief articles are from the mainstream press:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/apology-frees-jailed-couple/2008/02/28/1203788539310.html

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23295269-2,00.html

A complete archive of the Court findings and decisions may be found at the Grand Lodge of Australia's website: www.otoaustralia.org.au