Causa of extraditions

Jewish university students denounce FPÖ-Rosenkranz

(Bild: APA Pool/APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

The Jewish Austrian University Students (JöH) and the lawyer Bini Guttmann filed charges against the First President of the National Council, Walter Rosenkranz, on Wednesday. The FPÖ politician is accused of abuse of office.

As reported, Rosenkranz apparently withheld the extradition request of the public prosecutor's office against those FPÖ National Councillors who were charged with Nazi reactivation by the university students on September 28 for ten days. Therefore, the JöH is legally suspected of abuse of office.

The above-mentioned charges under the Prohibition Act were brought against FPÖ National Councillors Martin Graf and Harald Stefan as well as against the Blue Parliamentary Club Director Norbert Nemeth and former FPÖ National Councillor Johann Gudenus.

It is suspected that the extradition request for the FPÖ Styria election campaign was withheld by Rosenkranz until after the state elections.

Jüdische österreichische HochschülerInnen (JöH)

Lots of accusations against Rosenkranz
"Rosenkranz had previously announced that he would run the office without party political coloration. However, his actions to date show the opposite: he organized FPÖ events with Viktor Orbán in parliament, tried to have Jewish students evicted from the Holocaust memorial on Judenplatz by the police on 9 November and has now apparently influenced judicial proceedings against his party colleagues in a relevant manner," criticized JöH in a press release. 

The judiciary must now ensure "that the rule of law is upheld in the Republic of Austria and that appropriate clarification is provided".

Lawyer explains the facts of the case
Bini Guttmann, lawyer and Executive Council member of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), explains the facts of the case: "As President of the National Council, Rosenkranz exercises sovereign powers. Forwarding a request for extradition is not a legislative activity, but an administrative one."

Connection with the Styrian election?
And adds: "The abuse through the withholding is in any case obvious, and the intent to cause harm also appears to be given if Rosenkranz wanted to favor a political success for the FPÖ in Styria. It must be legally clarified whether he is a public official who can therefore commit abuse of office. If this is the case, then the offense would be fulfilled in any case."