Austrian Parliamentarian Convicted of Incitement to Hatred

Vienna - Austrian far-right parliamentarian Susanne Winter was convicted, Thursday January 22, 2009, of incitement because of her anti-Muslim statements, including the claim that Islam's prophet Mohammed was a paedophile. A court in Winter's home town of Graz also found the 51-year-old politician guilty of humiliating a religion. She was sentenced to a fine of 24,000 euros (31,000 dollars) euros and a suspended prison term of three months, according to Austrian news agency APA.

The politician, who took a seat in parliament last fall for the Freedom Party (FPOe), made the anti-Islamic remarks in January 2008.

She also proposed in a discussion with students that Muslim men should commit bestiality rather than making "indecent advances" on girls.

The politician had pleaded innocent Thursday, claiming that she "did not want to insult anyone, but only to point out problems."

The verdict is not yet legally binding.

Winter's son Michael, a former youth leader in the Freedom Party, was convicted of the same crime last October. He had suggested in a newsletter that Turkish Muslims were in the habit of committing bestiality.

A Petition defending the right to the freedom of expression is now available on line. (See below)

To: the European Court of Justice

As of 22.01.2009, Susanne Winter, a lawyer and politician for the right-wing Freedom Party of Austria received a 3-month conditional sentence, with the additional fine of 24.000 EUR, for "incitement and degradation of religious doctrines" as she stated that the Islamic Prophet Mohammed would today be considered a paedophile for raping a 9-year old.

Regardless of my view on Winter's claim, it is a grave violation of human rights for freedom of expression to ban constructive religious criticism.

I hereby demand an appeal against the presiding court in Graz to demonstrate that the freedom of speech has still value in the 21st century.

Sincerely,

Petition : http://www.petitiononline.com/wint0109/petition.html

^* Image: http://www.meinparlament.at/dr_susanne_winter-10815-17608.html

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