Letter from Martin Balluch, one of the animal rights activists arrested in Austria Absurd This letter was published yesterday at the site of AgireOra and I think a clear statement of what is happening in Austria and how are the facts:
Lettera di Martin Balluch, 9 giugno 2008
Mercoledì 21 maggio 2008 la mia vita doveva cambiare drasticamente. Avevamo preparato una nuova campagna sulla modifica delle Costituzione a favore degli animali, che avrebbe dovuto essere votata in parlamento all'inizio di luglio. Per questa campagna eravamo riusciti ad unire praticamente l'intero movimento in Austria. Chi di voi mi conosce lo sa, questo è uno dei miei obiettivi principali, unificare il movimento per raddoppiarne la forza.
Ma la campagna non è mai partita. Nelle prime ore di mercoledì mattina, la polizia ha lanciato il più violento attacco mai esistito nella storia dell'Austria contro un movimento social justice and against non-governmental organizations. Hundreds of armed police officers broke down the door of 21 private homes, 6 offices in 6 different organizations and storage of information materials. 25 people were arrested and questioned by police. 10 have been detained since then, and I was one of those.
to "take," the police not only broke into my house, but also home to two of my brothers and my girlfriend.
masked policemen raided the house breaking the door and ran to our beds with guns drawn. They pointed the gun at his head and pulled me out of bed, naked. My brother was thrown against a wall and is was the gun to the neck.
One of the 10 people that the police intended to arrest was not home. So they called, and, guess what? Confident, the activist went to the police station suspecting nothing evil. And now he's still rotting in a cell, without knowing why. Among other things, is the campaigns director of the well-known welfare group "Four Paws" (Four Paws), which has offices in 6 different countries.
After the police arrested us, searched our homes, including those of my brothers, who were not involved at all in the animal rights movement. The police took away especially computers, as well as information materials, books, videos, and mobile phones.
would think that this massive police operation was the reaction of the state to a high level of criminal activity linked to animal rights. But instead, the fact is that ALF activity in Austria is on a much smaller scale compared to all other countries with a very active animal rights movement.
So you might think that the police had been informed of any dangerous attack of the ALF was going to happen, or that they wanted to find bombs or terrorist material. But again, nothing more wrong. They had no information of this kind, have not even tried this type of material. They were only interested in computers, books, videos, that is, materials that say something about the behavior of people who were arrested. Only this: the behavior of people, not of specific crimes.
If the police had evidence against anyone of those arrested for crimes committed, would have thought by now. But the arrest order says something else. We were all arrested for "forming a large criminal organization with a hierarchical structure like a company." And the crimes allegedly committed by this organization under the name of ALF are all crimes in some way related to animal rights that has ever happened in Austria! Sounds like a joke, but it is not. Every single crime committed so far, every lock incollato, ogni copertone bucato, ogni finestra rotta e così via, ma anche - credeteci o no - ogni presidio di fronte alle case dei torturatori di animali, ogni investigazione sotto copertura che non aveva alcun aspetto illegale, su ogni argomento immaginabile, dalla vivisezione alle pellicce, allevamenti intensivi, circo, tutto, ogni cosa successa, si suppone sia stata fatta dalla "nostra" associazione per delinquere!
Vi aspettereste che se la polizia e il Pubblico Ministero vi sospettassero di crimini così atroci, venissero da voi dopo l'arresto e vi interrogassero. Ma no, sbagliato di nuovo! Fin da quando sono stato messo in cella, non mi è mai stata rivolta una sola domanda su questo caso. Il mio avvocato asked to see the evidence in police possession, and so far we have seen 2500 pages. And in all those pages, I analyze some animal rights related crimes of the last two years, also under the aspect of forensic medicine. Even a lock on a door had been examined for signs of DNA. It was not found any evidence against the 10 arrested.
addition, the police listened to our phone calls, put us under surveillance, has installed cameras that focus on our doorstep, has infiltrated into our groups, read our mail. For 2 years! Still have not found any evidence. So they started the operation of police, desperate for something to use against us, even if tax evasion.
My arrest and imprisonment are "justified" as well. There is one, although relatively small, animal rights related criminal activity. So, there must be managed as a large hierarchical organization that is responsible. Also, since I am active in the movement for decades, since I have international contacts and since I have some influence in the movement and I have organized many campaigns, I must be the head of this organization. Point. That's it. These are the tests. Do you believe? I do not, but what I see, this is reality.
How can I be retained for these ludicrous "suspicion"? Good question. For two weeks I was not the reason for my arrest. Then I examined the "evidence" and was brought before a judge Friday, June 6. The prosecutor read a list of all crimes connected with animal rights activism in the last 11 years, which required a lot 'of time. Then he said I am suspected of leading a criminal organization that is responsible for all these crimes. To which my lawyer said that there was no evidence. Then I wanted to make a statement, but the judge has allowed me. He just gave a verdict ready, saying that I should be detained for another 4 weeks, and that then she would review my case. And so did the other 10 arrested, including the campaigns director of Four Paws International.
So what's behind it? I think behind all this there is the deepest attack on the animal rights movement ever in the history of movement throughout the world. Let me explain. About 11 years ago we embarked on a new approach to carry out campaigns in Austria. We used the classic tactics of the campaigns with the participation of activists in the field, with the media and civil disobedience actions for legal reforms. And we had really happened.
Before we abolished the herds of animals 'fur' then we have banned wild animals from circuses, then kept in battery cages and vivisection on primates, and eventually the breeding of rabbits in a cage. These successes have created a lot of concern in some powerful groups in our society. After the abolition of hens in battery farm in 2004 we started to feel the growing police repression.
The anti-terrorist police department started to watch us and slander us by releasing statements in which they said are suspected of criminal activity. In addition, the police restricted our rights to protest. Then the Home Office publicly called us a violent group. We tried di querelarlo per questo, ma come ministro godeva dell'immunità. Ma ha poi ammesso in Parlamento, interrogato su questo, che la sua dichiarazione era basata su ipotesi sbagliate. Noi l'abbiamo pubblicamente definito un bugiardo, e lui non ha reagito, un comportamento rivelatore...
O così pensavamo. Più o meno allo stesso tempo, è stata formata una squadra speciale della polizia per iniziare una grossa operazione di sorveglianza su di noi, cioè su vari gruppi animalisti, associazioni e singoli individui. Il resto lo sapete.
Dato che, dopo anni di sorveglianza intensiva, la polizia non è riuscita a trovare prove di nessun atto criminoso, si sono dovuti inventare un'ipotesi di reato that did not need evidence. For this they used a recently introduced law against terrorist groups and the mafia. This law says it's illegal to form a large organization (ie more than 10 people) that is managed as a hierarchical, with the aim of influencing policy and the economy and commit to do this at least occasionally, of criminal acts. As we organize campaigns to influence politics and economy, and given that there is a species of animal rights related criminal activity, although not related to us, a very low level and a non-serious, but There, the prosecutor is now using this law - for the first time in storia - contro una associazione.
E non dimenticate: alcuni di questi "crimini" elencati dal Pubblico Ministero comprendono affissioni illegali, blocchi stradali, investigazioni sotto copertura in allevamenti intensivi. Questo è uno sviluppo molto preoccupante. La polizia sta usando una legge anti-terrorismo contro una campagna legittima e non criminale di pressione politica. Amnesty International ha espresso le sue preoccupazioni. Un deputato mi è venuto a trovare in prigione e ha fatto delle interrogazioni critiche al Ministro dell'Interno in Parlamento. Ma il Ministro ha rifiutato di commentare. Invece il Pubblico Ministero ha rilasciato delle dichiarazioni ai media secondo cui siamo sospettati di avere commesso attacchi col gas e incendi, per screditarci.
Questo è un processo politico, un attacco su larga scala alle campagne legittime e legali di riforma legislativa che finora hanno avuto successo. Per favore, protestate contro questi criminali, che stanno dietro a questo attacco contro di noi, e che sono probabilmente ad alti livelli nel governo.
Io sostengo questa protesta più che posso. Subito dopo il mio arresto, ho iniziato lo sciopero della fame. A parte poco prima della mia udienza presso la corte, per avere la forza di andarci, non ho mai più mangiato da allora. E' il 19esimo giorno oggi. Nell'ultima settimana sono stato nell'ospedale della prigione, ho la vista sfuocata e sono già svenuto una volta. Mi hanno detto che presto mi nutriranno a forza.
Ho bisogno del vostro aiuto. Conto su di voi. Grazie per tutto il sostegno che ci avete già dato. Credetemi, non c'è davvero nessuna prova di qualsiasi attività criminale, contro di me. Non ce n'è ora, non ce ne sarà mai.
Dr. Martin Balluch
Associazione Contro gli Allevamenti di Animali
dall'ospedale della prigione, Vienna, Austria
Lunedì, 9 giugno 2008
