Friday July 4, 2008, 6:11 am
The imprisonment is illegal!

Friday July 4, 2008, 6:42 am
Thats what amnesty did testify! But still nobody is releasing them!

Friday July 4, 2008, 8:06 am
Latest news in english!
http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Category:Whistleblowers/Austria

Friday July 4, 2008, 6:56 pm


Message to the international animal rights movement regarding my hunger strike on my 43rd day of incarceration

I suppose you will know by now that 43 days ago, Austrian police undertook 28 armed raids on homes of animal rights activist and on offices of 7 animal rights groups all over Austria. 10 people were put on remand, and still are, one of them being me. Because these police actions were completely out of any proportion and no well – founded reasons for the raids and arrests were forthcoming, I immediately went on hunger strike. I used my last means of protest against this unbelievable level of police terror and state repression.

Initially, I had no access to fruit juice or sugared tea, and then only after days of no food or drink other than water, I felt already nauseous and weak. I had to move slowly to avoid a blackout. After a week on hunger strike I was given sugar and fruit juices, which I chose to drink. The prison doctor did warn me that a water only hunger strike very rapidly leads to brain function impairment. As I need my brains to defend myself and to show these terrorists for what they are I chose to drink juice.

I still lost weight very rapidly, about 1.5 kg a day. On my 13th day of the hunger strike – I was down 18kg by then – I was moved to the hospital wing of the prison. Actually, I was moved from Wiener Neustadt prison to the one where I am now in Vienna because this prison has a hospital wing.

On the 15th day of my hunger strike I passed out for the first time. From then onwards, I would have to stay in bed.

Since on day 17 I was to be put before a judge to decide whether my prison stay was to be extended, I ate 2 pieces of fruit and a muesli bar in the morning, so that I could travel. I immediately felt a lot better. But the court appearance was a farce. The judge had her decision ready before I entered the court room, and – contrary to the law – she did not allow me to give a statement to my defence. Indeed, till today, neither police nor prosecutor nor the judge have questioned me at all or given me the opportunity to give a statement, although my solicitors have been requesting this for weeks!

After the court, I was moved back to the prison hospital and resumed hunger strike. Over the next days I felt a lot stronger, although I had only eaten once and such a little bit, but from day 22 onwards, my state of health deteriorated.

On the 25, authorities started to force feed me. I allowed them to do that without physical resistance.

The force feeding prevented me from dying. However, it does not stop the deterioration of my health, it only slows the process down. Doctors informed me that they did not have proper vegan food to force feed me with.

On day 36 I reached a new low point, which gave me near death experiences. I had this strong impression of being suspend above a complete void. I was about to fall into it. I pictured my situation as being up to the neck in a crevice, standing on such thin ice that could not hold my weight much longer. I could not get out anymore by myself.

My solicitor had appealed the outrageous decision of the judge and I was asked by him to give a statement to support my case. I needed to concentrate. Also, in a few days I have my second court appearance, which would have been impossible in my state.

So, on day 39 I decided to try and bring some strength back into my body by eating a little. Since I was still on hunger strike, I was given no food into my cell at the hospital wing. I managed to take a little orange from the hospital kitchen bin, and I tried to eat it. It was terrible. I just couldn’t. I could not swallow properly – I just sucked on it – and I got unbelievable stomach pains and had diarrhoea.

I asked to speak to the chief doctor of the hospital wing.

Incidentally, this guy is a paid up member of our animal rights group! He said to me that now he is a criminal too – because he is funding a criminal organisation. And he supported me. If I was to defend myself and appear in court, I needed to get back to health at least somewhat. We set up a plan, and from day 40 onwards, I had a little ground up fruit and porridge with soya milk.

What a strange feeling to have food in my mouth after such a long time! And one little spoon full of porridge filled up my stomach completely. Apparently, it had shrunk to the size of a pea. In any case, I am at the movement slowly moving back to being alive. I still cannot eat much at all. I am also not hungry. And I have not been on a toilet for 43 days and still have 24kg less body weight than before my arrest. My hunger strike has not ended yet, though. I will go to court and defend myself. If the new judge and the appeal court both decide to keep me in prison, I will have to make a decision. Either I will stop my hunger strike, or I will resume it and drink water only.

Nothing inbetween anymore. In the latter case I will actively refuse being forcibly fed too, as long as I am able to. Those responsible for this police terror shall face the consequences.

The prosecution and police have produced absolutely no evidence against me whatsoever, although they had agents in our group and listened to all my phone calls, read all my mails, filmed the entrance of my home and followed me around. So they tried to fabricate evidence. They went to a person, who they know had animosities against me, and tried to push him to say that I am likely to have committed arson. He has gone public with that and revealed how police have tried to influence him and put words in his mouth.

Police also made up an arson attack and tried to blame it on me. Although their own expert found no evidence of arson, but rather that it was an accident with a poorly insulated oven, and that the owner indeed had been careless. Police fabricated an animal rights communiqué claiming responsibility for the arson. In addition, police shifted the date of accident to 2 days later, in order to blame it on me, since I was indeed 2 days later in the region!

What is happening here to me and the other activists imprisoned, is a violent crime of extreme proportions. I ask you to keep putting pressure on Austria and its government in whatever way you can. The case is crumbling, there are signs of this all over the place.

Senior prosecutors have already admitted that there is no concrete evidence and that the police raids were unlawful. They still insist on keeping us on remand, because by our mere (legal!) activism we prove to be companions in crime of ALF activists, and hence all form a huge criminal organisation – even if we don’t know each other! Police and prosecutors are trying to hold out as long as they can. Let us pull together and push them over the cliff. They must be publicly shown to be the criminals they are. And they must be prosecuted themselves for what they have done!

Martin Balluch, political prisoner, cell 75 / 05 hospital wing of JA Wien – Josefstadt, on the 2nd July 2008

Saturday July 5, 2008, 9:35 am
New "Guantanamo Bay" in Vienna / Wien - Austria / Österreich - update 04. July 2008

- 10 innocent animal-rights-advocates in jail, 28 private homes and offices stormed and ransacked illegally by rogue and excessive police squad, 1000nds of documents with campaign and personal data of sponsors misapprehended -


AUSTRIA in downturn ! - BIG LOOSER in human rights & humanity, international reputation & image - Protest against the international MEDIA BLACKOUT on blatant human rights abuses in Austria -

!!! DETAINED AUSTRIAN ANIMAL RIGHTS ADVOCATE NOW MORE THAN ONE AND HALF MONTHS ON HUNGER STRIKE IN PROTEST AGAINST STATE ATROCITIES - AND SINCE NEARLY THREE WEEKS KEPT ONLY ARTIFICIALLY ALIVE !!!

Many international protests in front of Austrian Embassies and Consulates took place already, while the ladies and gentlemen of the Austrian Diplomatic Corps, paid by the taxpayers, were all back home to watch football of the EURO2008 in Vienna.


BREAKING NEWS:

Questioned by Committee, Austria's New Justice Minister remains mum

Vienna / Austria - 03. July 2008 - Despite an attempt by the conservative party to sabotage today's meeting of the Austrian Parliamentary Select Committee on the Interior the commission held its session today.

Newly introduced Federal Minister of the Interior Mag. Dr. Maria Theresia Fekter was specifically questioned by the commission concerning the affairs surrounding the obviously illegal detention of 10 Animal Rights Advocates.

But not one of the questions from the 3 catalogues of questions presented to parliament, which had been addressed to her Ministry already two weeks ago, was answered by Minister Fekter. Speculations run high, if the Ministry of the Interior or its affiliated internal affairs intelligence service, the Verfassungsschutz, still hold crucial information in a file, which is apparently part of the prosecution process, but whose content has still not be made available until today even to the defence lawyers.

It is presumed that Minister Fekter too now just wants to play for time until next Monday's 2nd hearing of the 10 cases, which have been combined in order to allow the state to sue for the formation of a criminal organization under its newly introduced paragraph 278a of the Austrian penal code.

Though the Chief Public Prosecutor Hofrat Dr. Werner Pleischl already has struck the most serious allegations from the public prosecutor Haendel's sheet, the prosecution stubbornly insists that they deal with a criminal organization without providing any evidence. Well informed circles believe that the mysterious V-file also would contain only hot air, but nothing of substance. One of the Green Party leaders, MP Mr. Peter Pilz, who is a member of the parliamentary committee investigating the scandal, stated that the Chief Public Prosecutor has invented a "criminal organization without criminals".

The blunt refusal by Minister Fekter to answer any of the questions related to these cases, is seen by the Austrian Green Party further as a new affront and the party declared through their legal affairs speaker MP Pilz that the lawyers of the Green Party will now examine, if the conditions of § 278a StGB could not be also used to accuse the public prosecutor, the chief public prosecutor, the special police investigation unit (SOKO FUR ANIMAL) and the Austrian internal intelligence service together for having formed a criminal organization.

Thursday July 10, 2008, 3:23 pm
It has become clear that exMinister Platter is finally responsible for the exaggerated, inhumane, illegal and blotted police action against 28 private residences as well as offices and that Dr. Maria Berger as Minister of Justice is finally responsible for the continuous detention without having any evidence against the jailed 10 people. It is suggested that as good coalition-partners both ministers should resign due to these and other cases, which are pending against them and that § 278a ÖStGB (formation of a criminal organization) should be called in concerning all criminal state-corruption and corporate cartel-building cases, but not be misused for the legitimate work of registered and recognized NGOs and their members, donors, sponsors or supporters.
Peter Pilz will nail him down! He will not give up! Never gives up Peter Pilz!