"Freedom for Herbert"
FPÖ wants to free far-right Taliban hostage
Kabul, Afghanistan: far-right author Herbert Fritz has been held captive by the Taliban for more than 260 days. His daughter Sigrid K. has now asked for support from local politicians - her father is fighting for his life. The Foreign Ministry emphasizes that they are helping on the ground and that negotiations are underway.
Herbert Fritz, known for his far-right slogans and co-founder of the National Democratic Party (NDP), was picked up by the secret service during his last trip to Afghanistan. The accusation: espionage, as Fritz's daughter reports. A photo with the Afghan opposition leader Ahmad Shah Massoud was allegedly his undoing.
The details of the arrest and the Taliban's exact accusations are still unclear. Fritz is now being held in a so-called foreign intelligence prison, a place normally designated for the investigation and trial of espionage cases. So far, there has been neither an official indictment nor a trial.
"Detention conditions atrocious"
"The conditions in the secret service prison are atrocious. No daylight, 20 minutes out a month and no medical care at all. My father is 84 years old and it breaks my heart to know that he is being tortured," Sigrid K. fights back tears in front of journalists in the "VinoWien" wine bar.
The last contact Sigrid K. had with her father was on Wednesday. A short phone call. "His condition is worrying. We are appealing to the Austrian government to do everything possible to get him released. Direct contact is crucial now," said the desperate daughter.
The Taliban have been waiting for a response from Austria for months and the Foreign Ministry has remained silent.
Tochter Sigrid.K
The FPÖ accuses the Foreign Ministry of doing too little to secure the release of the Austrian. At a joint press conference with the daughter, Freedom Party MP Martin Graf also spoke of a "state failure". The Taliban had already made demands for Mr. Fritz's release, including consular representation in the Afghan embassy in Vienna. If this is not possible, they are demanding the closure of the embassy.
The Foreign Ministry was allegedly contacted by the Taliban weeks ago, but did not respond. When asked whether this could have anything to do with Fritz's political past and extreme right-wing views, Graf says: "Yes, that is certainly one of the reasons."
Ministry: support on site
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry points out that the detainee traveled to Afghanistan despite the travel warning that has been in place for decades and that consular assistance in the country is only possible to a very limited extent. Nevertheless, the Austrian embassy in the Pakistani capital Islamabad and the EU representation in Kabul are looking after the detainee as well as possible and working towards his release.
Specifically, five shipments of medication and a hearing aid have now been sent to him. In addition, there had been two prison visits by the EU representation at Austria's request.
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