engl. 278.at Interviews - 2v7 - Martin Balluch - animal rights court ...Transcript: My name is Martin Balluch. I've been involved with animal and environmental protection since 1978. That sounds like a long time, and it is. But at the beginning I did other things as well. However, since 1989 my work for animal protection has become more and more intensive and since 1997 you could say that animal protection has become my profession because I work for the VGT (Association against Animal Factories). My main concern has always been to achieve legislative reforms. I am convinced that we should aim for the ethical ideal of non-violence towards animals with a step by step strategy. This means permanent changes established via reforms. As a result of the success of some of the reforms that we have achieved in recent years, I have experienced increasing harassment which can surely be traced back to certain hunting and other animal abusing circles. I've noticed and felt this at least since our ban on battery cages was achieved in May 2004. And especially since the surveillance operation was started by the police special unit, I have become the so called main suspect. I was observed for months. My calls were listened in on for years -- or at least one-and-a-half years. My emails were read. Then they started watching our office and our store room. An undercover agent was planted in my midst and a tracking devise was put on my car. They used the conceivable surveillance methods possible -- and still they found nothing. Because they had nothing on me, but still had instructions to get me out of the way -- me and the VGT -- it went as far as bringing charges against me on the order of the Justice Minister. But because there is no evidence against me and not even a concrete accusation the 278a law has been wheeled out. This law is so undefined that it's possible to subsume anything under it. So, I am a supporter of a criminal organisation. Through my legal campaigning work -- and especially through my work on legislative reforms, my organising of animal protection events, such as conferences and workshops for newcomers, I have motivated persons unknown to me through these ideals indirectly to break the law. A truly vague accusation against which one can hardly defend oneself because nobody is saying 'On such and such a date you did this or that' but rather 'In general, your legal activities had this effect or that effect' For this reason, the charge leaves me powerless. It's not possible of course to defend myself. The single most sensible solution would be to reform the 278a law. My case and that against the others in the animal protection trail demonstrates that this is necessary because, using this law as it stands, it's possible to criminalise any 'undesirable' political campaigner. It is therefore essential that this reform is carried through. This law must be modified so that it becomes impossible to implement it for political reasons. Information about the animal protection trial can be found on: www.tierschutzprozess.at. I also have a blog that I update weekly, sometimes more often even, with my comments on the proceedings of this unbelievable trial and the years of investigations leading up to it: www.martinballuch.com code pour embarquer la vidéo : >>> http://www.youtube.com/embed/QzA3CXbQRqY <<< |