Karin Pouw

Karin Pouw is a French-born American official within the Church of Scientology International. Since 1993, she has served as Director of Public Affairs in the Office of Special Affairs and is one of Scientology's international spokespersons. In 2000, the Los Angeles Times reported that she was a member of the Church of Scientology's Office of Special Affairs, which she said functions as a "public affairs office".

As of 2023, Pouw is an international spokesperson for the Church of Scientology, and the Director of Public Affairs for Church of Scientology International.

Response to criticism of Scientology

Pouw has spoken out against activists and former Scientologists who publicly criticize Scientology. When Carnegie Mellon University professor David S. Touretzky spoke to the press about the Scientology-affiliated organization Applied Scholastics, Pouw said: "He is discredited in the field that he's trying to comment on. He is a specialist in rat brains." Scientology critic Arnaldo Lerma told The Washington Post that he left the Church of Scientology because he fell in love with one of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's daughters, but Pouw said Lerma "left the Church because he could not maintain the ethical standards required of Scientologists". She has also questioned why former Scientologist Lawrence Wollersheim's organization FACTNet should have non-profit, tax-exempt status. "Wollersheim has been trying to con the church and the general public for 20 years. We recognized him for what he is and expelled him from the church. Now the law has finally caught up with him," she said after United States Marshals seized computers and documents critical of Scientology from Wollersheim's home after Scientology officials alleged that he was posting copyrighted material to the Internet.

Pouw issued a 15-page statement to the press in response to the January 2008 publication of Andrew Morton's unauthorized biography of Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography. Pouw called the book a "bigoted defamatory assault replete with lies". During Project Chanology's denial-of-service attacks on Church of Scientology websites in late January 2008, Pouw asserted to the Los Angeles Times that their websites "have been and are online". "These people are posing extremely serious death threats to our people. We are talking about religious hatred and bigotry," said Pouw in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

In July 2010 the Church of Scientology International publicized a "Scientology Newsroom" website tailored for members of the media; Pouw was one of four international representatives for Scientology listed as "Spokespersons".