Elaborate court process for Heil Hitler calls – salzburg.ORF.at
court
The Salzburg Regional Court had to go to great lengths on Thursday for two Heil Hitler calls. The charge against the accused is of National Socialist re-employment. For this, the possible court occupation must come together, just as large as, for example, in a murder trial.
There are three professional judges, eight jurors, two reserve jurors, and of course a public prosecutor and a defense attorney – an indictment under the Prohibition Act must be dealt with in this line-up. This was established in 1947 and this regulation is still in force today.
Heil Hitler calls in the tavern
The accused 49-year-old is accused of having shouted “Heil Hitler” twice in a pub. The Austrian penal code takes something like this very seriously. The threat of punishment is therefore great, like the court occupation. The accused faces one to ten years imprisonment and IF the perpetrator or his act were particularly dangerous up to 20 years. In this case, however, this is unlikely to be the case. The accused has four previous convictions, but never for being re-employed by the National Socialists.
Finding a verdict is also a lengthy process in this jury trial. The professional judges formulate questions to the jury on which these lay judges have to vote by a majority without the influence of the three professional judges. The jury will also decide whether the accused is guilty or not. Then the professional judges come back and set the sentence together with the lay judges.