Holocaust denier to be released
An Austrian court has ruled that UK historian David Irving - jailed for
denying the Holocaust - should be released on probation.
The court had heard calls for both a reduction and increase in the
three-year sentence. Irving was convicted in February in a case that sparked
international debate about the limits of freedom of speech. In 1989 he spoke
in Austria denying the existence of gas chambers at Auschwitz, though he later
said he was "mistaken". Irving on Wednesday welcomed his release and said
he was "fit and well". He said he would urge an academic boycott of
historians from Germany and Austria until the nations stopped jailing
historians. "I was put in prison for three years for expressing an opinion 17
years ago," he said. Intense debate The BBC's Kerry Skyring in Vienna
says the sentence has been converted to one year in jail and two years
suspended. The conditions of the probation are not yet known, including
whether Irving will be able to leave Austria.
COUNTRIES WITH LAWS AGAINST HOLOCAUST DENIAL
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
France
Germany
Israel
Lithuania
Poland
Romania
Slovakia
Switzerland
But his lawyer, Herbert Schaller, said: "He is free, and he can leave, and
he will leave." Both the prosecution and defence had challenged the length of
the sentence. The crime carries a prison term of up to 10 years. The 1992 law
targets "whoever denies, grossly plays down, approves or tries to excuse the
National Socialist genocide". Irving, 68, was arrested in November last year
on a motorway in southern Austria. He was visiting to give a lecture to a
far-right student fraternity. The conviction had sparked intense debate with
supporters saying it was fully justified but opponents arguing it undermined
the right of freedom of speech. At the initial trial, Irving had said it was
"ridiculous" he was being tried for expressing an opinion and that he had
changed his views on the Holocaust.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6196073.stm
Published: 2006/12/20 11:29:44 GMT
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