Animal Aid

Mag. Claudia Bandion-Ortner
Bundesministerin für Justiz
Palais Trautson, Museumstraße 7
Vienna 1070 Austria

Dear Madam:

We wish to express our deep concern about what appears to be a repression of the Austrian animal advocacy movement by your ministry.

We have been informed that, a year ago, the homes and offices of ten leading Austrian animal advocates were raided and that these individuals were kept in solitary confinement without charges for four months. We also understand that a two-year investigation relying on 26 house and 7 NGO office searches, undercover investigators, wiretaps, e-mail surveillance, and personal and vehicular tracking, has yielded no direct evidence of any criminal activity by these individuals.

Yet, we have been told that your ministry plans to charge these ten and 30 additional animal activists under Section 278a of the Austrian Penal Code merely on the basis of acts of civil disobedience and snippets of intercepted conversations taken out of context.

If our information is incorrect, we would appreciate learning your position on this issue.

Austria has emerged from the dark years of World War II as Europe’s beacon of individual liberties, where peaceful dissent and social activism are not only tolerated, but encouraged. Preferring charges against these animal advocates without solid evidence of criminal wrongdoing would bring irreparable harm to Austria’s international reputation and goodwill built up over 64 years of respect and struggle for peace and justice.

Please understand that we do not presume to tell you how to run your ministry. We have neither the competence nor the authority. We are merely sharing with you our opinion as legal scholars, social activists, and concerned citizens. We would welcome your response.

Respectfully yours,

cc: Chancellor Fayman
President Fisher