Recent letter from Dr. Martin Balluch...

[Robeson]

...as I had written on previous posts, he was among ten animal rights activists in Austria who have been incarcerated since May 21st, without charges being filed. This is garnering international attention. He has been on a hunger strike, and is battling declining health.

Here is one of his latest communique's from prison...

Excerpt:

What a strange feeling to have food in my mouth after such a long time! And one little spoon full of porridge filled up my stomach completely. Apparently, it had shrunk to the size of a pea. In any case, I am at the movement slowly moving back to being alive. I still cannot eat much at all. I am also not hungry. And I have not been on a toilet for 43 days and still have 24kg less body weight than before my arrest. My hunger strike has not ended yet, though. I will go to court and defend myself. If the new judge and the appeal court both decide to keep me in prison, I will have to make a decision. Either I will stop my hunger strike, or I will resume it and drink water only.

Nothing in between anymore. In the latter case I will actively refuse being forcibly fed too, as long as I am able to. Those responsible for this police terror shall face the consequences.

The prosecution and police have produced absolutely no evidence against me whatsoever, although they had agents in our group and listened to all my phone calls, read all my mails, filmed the entrance of my home and followed me around. So they tried to fabricate evidence. They went to a person, who they know had animosities against me, and tried to push him to say that I am likely to have committed arson. He has gone public with that and revealed how police have tried to influence him and put words in his mouth.

Police also made up an arson attack and tried to blame it on me. Although their own expert found no evidence of arson, but rather that it was an accident with a poorly insulated oven, and that the owner indeed had been careless. Police fabricated an animal rights communiqué claiming responsibility for the arson. In addition, police shifted the date of accident to 2 days later, in order to blame it on me, since I was indeed 2 days later in the region!

What is happening here to me and the other activists imprisoned, is a violent crime of extreme proportions. I ask you to keep putting pressure on Austria and its government in whatever way you can. The case is crumbling, there are signs of this all over the place.

Full letter here... http://www.animalscount.com/austria.html

[Annces]

1. What is wrong with Austria

I didn't know they were capable of this kind of behavior.

[Robeson]

2. It seems to be a general trend: to stop groups who educate..

...other citizens regarding the meat industries. Corporations are fighting back. Honestly, I think 9/11 legally opened the door for many countries in the Western World, to start labeling many groups as "terrorists" if that group opposes the established order. Animal rights activists have been on the corporate radar for a long time. Many of these countries - like our own - now have the legal framework to finally go after animal rights activist. The animal activists in Austria are being treated no differently than other "terrorists". They've been locked up, with no charges, with no idea of when they'll be released.

[LeftyMom]

3. ARA's are a threat to very large, very profitable corporations.

It's cheaper to lean on a few pet lawmakers to criminalize protest than to change behavior, just like it's cheaper to abuse animals than to embrace vegan alternatives.

[Robeson]

4. No doubt.