Shame on Austria

[Matjaz Kovse]

http://www.shameonaustria.org/en/

Political persecution in Austria

On 21 May 2008, special units of the Austrian police arrested 10 leading campaigners from the country's successful animal protection movement. The activists, among them a former research assistant at the
University of Cambridge, were put on remand. The Ministry of the
Interior boasted they had hunted down a criminal gang responsible for
numerous cases of arson, gas attacks and bomb threats.

However, the imprisoned people insisted that the prosecution files they were eventually given access to contained absolutely no evidence of any criminal offence but rather a description of their campaigning for
changing laws and business policies. One of the prisoners went on hunger
strike and stayed without food for 39 days. Fierce criticism came from
many well-known personalities and organisations, including Amnesty
International and the Green Party.

After more than three months, a senior state prosecutor ordered release of the activists, saying the time spent in custody must be in proportion to the expected sentence. This drove away most of the public
attention, but the case wasn't over. In February 2010, the state
prosecution announced that enough evidence had been found to put 13
animal protection activists, including the ten who had spent three
months in custody, on trial.

Four of the activists have released their charge sheets on the internet. The worst fears have been fulfilled. There is nothing in the charge sheets that could be seen as evidence of criminal behaviour.
Rather, the activists' supposed membership in a criminal organisation is
deduced from an extensive list of expressed opinions and political
activities, such as organising demonstrations and public conferences.

The trial is expected to last 6 months. The activists are facing up to 5 years imprisonment and will have to pay over €35,000 each for defence lawyers, which will not be reimbursed even if the trial results
in acquittal.

This cannot be tolerated. Austria must not be allowed to terrorise its citizens with financial ruin and imprisonment because of their political activities.