An Australian woman claims that she was held against her will aboard the Scientology cruise ship Freewinds for more than a decade.
However, the Church of Scientology says her claims are “baseless and more than a little self-serving” and she was a volunteer on the vessel.
Valeska Paris says she was sent to the ship by the Church of Scientology's leader David Miscavige to prevent her mother taking her away from Scientology, according to ABC News.
Ms Paris says she was forced into hard labour and not allowed to leave the ship without an escort for the first six years.
"I did not want to be there, I made it clear I did not want to be there and that was considered bad ethics, meaning it was considered not right," she said.
The church disputes Ms Paris’ story, and said in a statement that they had made enquiries and found she showed “self-determined, willing and continued participation as a volunteer staff member” during her time on the ship.
The statement says Ms Paris left the ship “hundreds of times” to go on shopping trips, alone or with her husband.
Ms Paris says the church took her passport so she was unable to leave.
"They take your passport when you go on the ship and you're in the middle of an island. So it's a bit hard [to escape] and by that time I was 18, I'd been in Scientology my whole life, it's not like I knew how to escape," she says.
Maritime regulations requiring all passports to be stamped in and out of each port meant the Port Captain held passports for the sake of convenience, the church says, but but Ms Paris’ passport “could be obtained easily by [her] at any time”.
Ms Paris was born into a family of Scientologists in Switzerland. When she was 14 years old she joined the Church's elite Sea Organisation. It required her to sign a contract binding her for 1 billion years - a commitment that would override her bond with her own family.
Her mother denounced Scientology on French television after her ex-husband Albert Jaquier committed suicide. Ms Paris was then told that she needed to disconnect from her mother because she was suppressive.
She has also described the church's leader David Miscavige as a psychopath and says he should be put on trial.
The church says Ms Paris is “seeking money… and believes obtaining adverse media will somehow help her with her claim”.
3 News