Monday May 2, 2011, 2:00 pm
Noted Tks Joanna.. This is good news..

Monday May 2, 2011, 2:01 pm
I used the same pic I used 1031 days ago to make a news asking for your support - thank you all Care2 friends who supported the Austrian Animal Rights Activists !!!!!!

The judge words:
Richterin: "Keine kriminelle Organisationen"
10.16 Uhr: "Jeder kann für sich selbst entscheiden. Die Ideologie ist das, was zusammenhält", sagt Arleth zur "Animal Liberation Front (Anm: Organisation, die für Tierbefreiungen steht)".

10.14 Uhr: Die "Animal Liberation Front" ist laut Arleth keine kriminelle Organisation. "Die Ziele sind die Tierbefreiung."

Info/News in German:
http://noe.orf.at/stories/513247/

From http://www.greenisthenewred.com:
Good news just received from friends overseas! All 13 Austrian animal rights activists who were charged with being part of a “criminal conspiracy” were just acquitted on their final day of trial.

The announcement is a major victory in a case that has drawn international attention from civil liberties and human rights groups. The activists, from diverse animal protection groups, had spent more than three months in jail. During the year-long trial, it was exposed that Austrian police had been briefed by American and British counter-terrorism officials (more on EUROPOL’s terrorism policies against animal activists here) and police had infiltrated activist groups to spy on lawful activity.

In brief, the government argued that both mainstream and “militant” groups were part of a criminal conspiracy–not because of their actions, but because of their beliefs in support of animal rights– and that they should therefore be held responsible for a wide range of crimes committed in the name of animal rights, and profits lost by corporations.

[This photo is of 13 hens saved by Australian activists, in solidarity with the Austrian defendants.]

When I was overseas last year I had the opportunity to speak to many activists closely tied to the case, and the similarities between these “conspiracy” charges and the conspiracy charges in the U.S. case of the SHAC 7 are startling.

The court case cost millions of Euros. In a secret interview with an Austrian daily, “Österreich”, a police officer from the Austrian federal criminal agency said: “When we do investigations against drug dealers, child pornography traders, or Russian mafia, exceeding a budget is always a problem. But in this case, money was never an issue.”

The media coverage in Austria has overwhelmingly been in favor of the activists, and the exposure of police abuses in the name of fighting “terrorism” have led to outrage beyond the animal rights movement.

It’s unclear how prosecutors will proceed at this point, but if they choose to re-indict they will certainly have an international public relations nightmare on their hands.

Monday May 2, 2011, 2:10 pm
Great news!Thank you Joanna,happy noted!

Monday May 2, 2011, 2:19 pm
Breiter Konsens zu Änderungsbedarf

Schon vor Beginn des Tierschützerprozesses in Wiener Neustadt hat es Kritik am „Mafia-Paragrafen“ gegeben. Nach den nicht rechtskräftigen Freisprüchen für die 13 Angeklagten am Montagvormittag forderten Grüne, SPÖ, FPÖ, BZÖ sowie Amnesty International und Greenpeace erneut mit Nachdruck eine Reform des Paragrafen.

http://news.orf.at/stories/2056166/2056170/

Monday May 2, 2011, 2:21 pm
Great. It was about time! Thanks Joanna for the good news.

Monday May 2, 2011, 3:08 pm
:-)))

Monday May 2, 2011, 5:05 pm
G R E A T !

Monday May 2, 2011, 5:18 pm
4 the voiceless WOW - hugs Joanna!

Tuesday May 3, 2011, 12:12 am
wonderful news . thank for letting us know hugs and kisses to you and all

Tuesday May 3, 2011, 12:27 am
Good to hear. Thanks Joanna!

Tuesday May 3, 2011, 1:26 am
Good luck!

Tuesday May 3, 2011, 2:51 am
This is wonderful !

Tuesday May 3, 2011, 3:11 am
Great news, Joanna - but what an extravagant scandal and complete farce the whole thing was. Disgusting!

Tuesday May 3, 2011, 5:01 am
Noted with thanks Joanna - great news indeed.

Tuesday May 3, 2011, 6:41 am

Liberating the enslaved - regardless of what species the enslaved victim happens to be - is still liberating the enslaved.

Who the victim might be does not predicate whether a particular action is "stealing" in one instance or "rescue" in another merely based upon the identity of the victims, which can vary. And it teaches us that we can't cherry-pick terms when we commit the same action - that is illogical and hypocritical.

This judge's ruling is GOOD news because it means that the recognition that other species have natural rights is supported. It means that humans cannot just assume we have the right to enslave, extirpate, exterminate and consume at will. It forces us to change, to consider each action, to be responsible for our behaviour, and ultimately, to change for the better.

Tuesday May 3, 2011, 7:06 am
ALF rulesss :DD

Tuesday May 3, 2011, 9:29 am
Thank you for sharing

Wednesday May 4, 2011, 1:21 pm
Really good news,thnx Joanna!

Sunday May 8, 2011, 8:42 am

Wonderful. Thank you Joanna