With her baby

This is why 19-year-old was allowed to go home with her child after IS trial

The 19-year-old converted Austrian came to the trial with her baby. She was released from custody after the verdict.(Bild: Dostal Harald, Krone KREATIV)

On Thursday, a total of four guilty verdicts were handed down in an IS trial at the Linz provincial court. A court expert explains how the supposedly lenient sentences for the young defendants - aged 16 to 19 - came about and why the 19-year-old was released with her baby.

How do you stop the defendants from reoffending? This was the question that a panel of lay judges in Linz had to answer on Thursday in an IS trial against four defendants (16 to 19 years old). In the online comments on krone.at, people were surprised at the supposedly lenient sentences. Walter Eichinger, spokesman for the Linz Regional Court, explained how the different sentences came about.

Blameless and confessed
The two juvenile defendants (16 and 17 years old) each received six months' conditional imprisonment. "Reasons for mitigation were their good character and their at least partial confession," said Eichinger. The sentence range for the duo was up to five years, so they received around a tenth of the maximum sentence.

The 19-year-old was also previously blameless. Unlike the other two, he has to pay part of his sentence - a total of 2400 euros. In addition to his 13-month conditional sentence, he also received probation assistance.

"Feeling the evil of imprisonment"
His wife, who already had a criminal record under Islamic law, was given the highest sentence of 24 months partially suspended. She had already been serving the eight months in custody since October 5 and was allowed home with her baby after the verdict was announced. "She's now felt the evil of imprisonment and that does something to people," explains Eichinger.

Deradicalization programme 
All four convicts must also take part in a deradicalization programme run by the "Derad" association. They also submit regular reports to the court. If the four do not participate, the sentences imposed could still become "harsh". The sentences are not legally binding.