Statements from well known people and organisations
Amnesty International
Statement
Amnesty International
Bardot, Brigitte
By this intervention, the Foundation Brigitte Bardot is
supporting the 10 imprisoned Austrian militants and generally
all peaceful activists who are at the moment subjected to
continuous, coarse and scandalously disproportionate attacks.
Open letter by Brigitte
Bardot
Christian Vegetarian Association
I am deeply troubled by reports that animal advocates in
Austria have been deprived of basic human rights by government
authorities on the very dubious grounds that the activists
have been involved in terrorist activities. They have been
imprisoned and their organizations effectively shut down,
yet evidently the police have been unable to provide any
evidence that they were responsible for any acts of terrorism.
It certainly seems that the intent of the police action
has been to intimidate animal protectionists. If this is
the case, it runs counter to a core principle of freedom,
which is that being free means having the right to dissent.
It is a false freedom that allows people to do whatever
they want as long as they don't challenge those in power,
because what they are allowed to do will invariably become
increasingly restricted.
I see the greatest threat of terrorism today not
coming at the hands of terrorists, but at the hands of government
officials using "anti-terrorism" as an excuse
to do the bidding of those with political influence. I
am seeing signs of this in the United States, and it appears
that this has become most manifest in Austria.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D. chair, Christian Vegetarian Association,
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
CIWF, Compassion in World Farming
John Callaghan, Director
of Programmes
Barbara Dias Pais, European
Coalition Coordinator
Philip Lymbery, Chief Executive
Peter Stevenson, Chief
Policy Advisor
Deschner, Karlheinz
"Einmal mehr werden Tierschützer kriminalisiert
- während Justitia nicht selten jene ignoriert, ja schützt,
die kriminell gegen Tiere sind (jämmerliche Haltung, qualvoller
Transport, brutale Tötung, zum Himmel schreiendes Vivisezieren...).
'Gegenüber dem Tier ist der Mensch Gewohnheitsverbrecher.'
"
Hershaft, Alex
Dear Dr. Maria Berger
I am writing to ask you to free the ten animal activists
imprisoned without charges under maximum security conditions
since May 21st. If they are only in detention, why are they
in 23-hour lockdown with severely restricted visitation
rights?
I wonder whether you realize the tremendous disservice you
are doing to all the good people of Austria, including your
predecessors, who have worked hard for the past 68 years
to clear Austria's name from the horrors of the 1940s. As
a Holocaust survivor, I remember those days well. We all
said "never again," but you are doing it again.
The Nazi regime didn't start with death camps. It started
with imprisoning dissidents without charges.
Please think about it!
Sincerely, Alex Hershaft, Ph.D.
Bethesda, MD USA
Huber, Ludwig
Statement
Hubmann, Toni
Statement
Initiative Zivilgesellschaft
Letter to
the persons in charge
Jelinek, Elfriede
"Ich finde derartig brutale Aktionen gegen nichtsahnende
Menschen skandalös. Straftaten gehören geahndet, aber dieser
Einsatz gegen Tierschützer scheint jedes Maß zu sprengen.
Jeder Bürger hat das Recht, aktiv für etwas einzutreten
oder zu demonstrieren. Für Tierrechte einzustehen ist besonders
wichtig, weil Tiere ja nicht für sich selber einstehen können.
Also müssen es die Menschen für sie tun. Tiere sind, wie
alle Schutzlosen, auf diesen Schutz angewiesen. Solche martialischen
bewaffneten Einsätze sind ein Schlag gegen alle Arten von
Bürgerrechtsbewegungungen und müssen scharf zurückgewiesen
werden."
Leander, Helena
Statement
Marschütz, Gerhard
"Bezüglich Ihrer Anfrage kann ich sagen, dass
ich Herrn DDr. Martin Balluch als Teilnehmer im Rahmen eines
Seminars über Tierethik, das ich an der Katholisch-Theologischen
Fakultät im WS 2001/02 durchgeführt habe, erstmals kennengelernt
habe und danach bei zwei Tierrechtskongressen (2002 und
2004), wo ich einmal auch als Referent tätig sein durfte.
Ich habe in diesen Zusammenhängen Herrn DDr. Martin Balluch
als sehr konsequenten und argumentativ kompromisslosen Vertreter
für das Anliegen von Tieren erfahren, nicht jedoch als jemand,
der Gewalttätigkeit befürwortet. Meinungsverschiedenheiten
suchte er stets durch wissenschaftliche Argumente zu schärfen
und zu klären. Über seine Tätigkeit im Rahmen des Vereins
gegen Tierfabriken kann ich keine Angaben machen.
Übrigens habe ich im Herbst 2008 Herrn DDr. Martin Balluch
zu einem wissenschaftlichen Vortrag an unsere Fakultät eingeladen.
Die noch einzige offene Frage, den genauen Termin, wollten
wir in diesen Tagen fixieren. Ich hätte eine solche Einladung
wohl nicht gegenüber der Fakultät verantworten können, wenn
ich den Eindruck bzw. das Wissen hätte, dass Herr DDr. Martin
Balluch einer "kriminellen Organisation" angehört."
Perlin, Ken
Statement
Peta
Message from Ingrid Newkirk, founder, PETA
Thank you for being the voice of the people locked up for
what appear to be socio-economic reasons. All of them have
been and will again be the voice of others even less fortunate:
those who are themselves also routinely locked up - and
even killed - for socio-economic reasons, the other species.
The heavy handedness and the force and intimidation tactics,
and now the prolonged incarceration of people I believe
can only be kind souls, is a blight on Austria and is sadly
reminiscent of another bitter time.
On my desk, I have a card that bears words familiar to most
of us who work in movements for social change: "First
they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I
was not a Jew. Then they came for the communists and I did
not speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came
for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because
I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me - and
there was no one left to speak out for me."
When they come for the proponents of animal rights, I believe
it in the interests of every decent person in the world
to speak up, for one day "they" may come for them,
too.
And, after all, those who speak up for exploited and oppressed
animals are the very sort of people it is desirable to have
in society because they, recognizing the suffering of those
least like them go to the bother of lending a helping hand.
They would surely always help anyone who is of their own
kind.
Until this incident, Austria had earned a reputation as
progressive for recognizing that animals deserve the basic
rights of care and respect. Now, the government and industry,
working in cahoots, and responsible for this disgraceful
deed, have made the rest of the world look back in history
to a time when Austria was shamed for its role in injustice
and oppression.
Petrus, Klaus
Statement
Regan, Tom
Statement
Remele, Kurt
Statement
Rütting, Barbara
Letter
to the persons in charge
Singer, Peter
Statement
Peter Singer
Article from Peter
Singer in "The Guardian", July 18th 2008
Sorenson, John
Statement
John Sorenson
Sztybel, David
Statement David Sztybel
A further statement from Prof. Sztybel:
I continue to be appalled by Austria's abuse of animal
activists. One of the letters from the prisoners expressed
pessimism that truth or justice would ever be served in
this case given that so much has been permitted, including
(1) contempt for the rule of law, even constitutionality,
(2) disregard for the presumption of innocence until proven
guilty, (3) dispensing with the need for evidence to support
charges, (4) disallowing defense counsel from rightful access
to case material, plus so much more relating to the arrests,
prison conditions, etc. However, the rest of the world has
not forgotten about the idea of civility, nor, as has been
proven, have the people of Austria. A nebulous list of offenses
does not a case make.
The state can be sued. I imagine there would be a long
line of lawyers who would salivate at the prospect of such
a suit, given the clear evidence of abuse of procedure and
the human (not to mention nonhuman, for the purposes of
a corrupt system) beings. They could work on the principle
of getting a cut of the damages, with no charge if they
fail. I smile at this prospect, although there is nearly
nothing to amuse in this whole sordid business.
Thieme, Marianne
Letter
to Martin Balluch from Marianne Thieme
Sommer, Volker
" Ein unglaubliches Vorgehen - auch wenn es trotzdem
geschah. Egal wie man zu Tierrechts-Aktionen im Einzelnen
steht, läuft es doch wohl klar hinaus, politisches Engegement
im Generellen zu behindern und zu kriminalisieren. So, wie
die Rechtslage jetzt zurechtgefeilt wurde, kann es ganz
schnell jeden treffen, der sich für oder gegen etwas engagiert.
Denn viele Boykotte, zu denne auch ich aufrufe (z.B. Tropenholz
aus Kahlschlags-Konzessionen und sogenannten "nachhaltig"
ausgebeuteten Wäldern; Atomkraft; Handel mit bedrohten Tierarten;
"Bio"Treibstoff) zielen selbstverständlich auf
eine ökonomische Schädigung derer, die damit Geld verdienen
- wie sonst könnten sie wirksam sein?"
Vegan Society
The Vegan Society is a peaceful organisation promoting
a healthy diet for the benefit of people, animals and the
environment.
The Board of the Vegan Society is deeply concerned about
the arrest and detention without charge on 21st May 2008
of members of our sister organisation the Austrian Vegan
Society and similar groups. We understand that those arrested
have now been interned for a further four weeks.
We are especially concerned for the welfare of the Chair
of the Austrian Vegan Society, Felix Hnat, and about the
disruption to the Austrian Vegan Society office and its
work.
We ask that the equipment confiscated be returned promptly
and that the arrested individuals be immediately released
or charged.
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