9/19/2015

Austrian prosecutor to review convicted Jewish historians discrimination claims | Jewish Telegraphic Agency

News Brief

Austrian prosecutor to review convicted Jewish

historians discrimination claims
September 18, 2015 12:42pm

(JTA) Austrias economyministry said itasked prosecutors toexamine claims of

discriminatory treatment in the trialof a Jewish historian facing prison for omitting
his aunt from an application for Holocaust restitution.
Stephan Templ, the historian, is to report to prison on Sept. 28to serve out his 2014
sentence of one year in jail for fraud against the RepublicofAustria because he left
out the aunt from the application he filed in 2006 on behalf of his mother.
The examination pertains to documents that suggest that an Austrian public notary,
Helmut Scheubrein, also omitted at least one beneficiary whom he was told existed
from a list of heirs to the asset for which Templs mother received restitution.
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Scheubrein, who submitted the list in 2007,

was not prosecuted while Templ who in
2001 wrote a book highly critical of Austrias
restitution record received for the same
actions a punishment which the AntiDefamation League described as
extraordinary and raising some
uncomfortable questions.

Templ said this showed discriminatory treatment of his prosecution, which he

and other critics have called a vendetta, though Austrian authorities denied this.
The allegations of Mr.Templconcerning Dr. Scheubrein are new to us,
EconomyMinistry spokesperson Harald Hoyer told JTA Thursday, adding his office
transmitted the information for examination by the competent public prosecutor.
On Wednesday, the human rights lawyer Robert Amsterdam, who is representing
http://www.jta.org/2015/09/18/news-opinion/world/austrian-prosecutor-to-review-convicted-jewish-historians-discrimination-claims

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9/19/2015

Austrian prosecutor to review convicted Jewish historians discrimination claims | Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Templ pro bono, sent a harshly worded letter to Austrian President Heinz Fischer,
whose office earlier this month cited declined ADLs request to pardon Templ.
Mr. Templ is now a convicted criminal because the Republic of Austria claims an
application form he filled out for restitution is homologous with serious fraud.
Unless and until you change that, Austria carries his conviction on its shoulders,
Amsterdam wrote.

http://www.jta.org/2015/09/18/news-opinion/world/austrian-prosecutor-to-review-convicted-jewish-historians-discrimination-claims

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