CASE OF OBERSCHLICK v. AUSTRIA
Preliminary objection rejected (six month period);Violation of Art. 6-1;Violation of Art. 10;Pecuniary damage - financial award;Non-pecuniary damage - finding of violation sufficient;Costs and expenses award - domestic proceedings;Costs and expenses award - Convention proceedings
C. Russo;N. Valticos
10. Mr Oberschlick, an Austrian journalist residing in Vienna, was at the relevant time the editor of the review Forum. 11. On 29 March 1983 - during the parliamentary election campaign - it was reported in a television programme that Mr Walter Grabher-Meyer, then Secretary General of one of the political parties which participated in the governing coalition, the Austrian Liberal Party (FPÖ), had suggested that the family allowances for Austrian women should be increased by 50% in order to obviate their seeking abortions for financial reasons, whilst those paid to immigrant mothers should be reduced to 50% of their current levels. He had justified his statement by saying that immigrant families were placed in a discriminatory position in other European countries as well. 12. On 20 April 1983 the applicant and several other persons laid a criminal information (Strafanzeige) against Mr Grabher-Meyer. However, the Vienna public prosecutor’s office decided on 1 June 1983 not to prosecute him. 13. On the day it was laid, the full text of the criminal information was published by the applicant in Forum. The cover page of the relevant issue contained a summary of its contents, including the title : "Criminal information against the Liberal Party Secretary General (Strafanzeige gegen FPÖ-Generalsekretär)". The following text appeared at page 9: (Translation) "CRIMINAL INFORMATION against WALTER GRABHER-MEYER Date of birth unknown, occupation: Secretary General, c/o FPÖ (Liberal Party), Federal Central Office, Kärntnerstrasse 28, 1010 Vienna ON SUSPICION OF 1. the misdemeanour (Vergehen) of incitement to hatred, contrary to Article 283 of the Criminal Code, 2. the misdemeanour (Vergehen) of incitement to commit criminal offences and expressing approval of criminal offences, contrary to Article 282 of the Criminal Code, and 3. the offence (Verbrechen) of activities within the meaning of sections 3 and 3d of the Constitutional Law of 8 May 1945 (StGBl. no. 13) on the prohibition of the National Socialist Party (NSDAP) ("Prohibition Act"). THE FACTS ‘The Secretary General of the Liberal Party, Mr Walter Grabher-Meyer today proposed raising family allowances for Austrian women by 50%, the aim of this measure being to deter Austrian women from having abortions for financial reasons. At the same time Walter Grabher-Meyer demanded that family allowances from the Austrian State for mothers of migrant workers’ families (Gastarbeitermütter) should be reduced to half the present level. Grabher-Meyer stated that migrant worker families are placed in a less favourable position in other European countries too.’ ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation), Television programmes 1 + 2 Late News 29.3.1983 Count 1: Walter Grabher-Meyer’s public statement was made in a way which offends human dignity and is directed against a group of persons defined by their membership of a people, ethnic group or State; in the present case, by the fact that they do not have Austrian citizenship. The contrasting treatment of Austrian women, who are to be spared the need for abortions by being placed in a better financial position, and mothers of migrant workers’ families who are not only not to be treated in the same way, but who are moreover, according to Walter Grabher-Meyer’s suggestion, to have their family allowances halved (allowances which in his opinion are too low to prevent abortion for financial reasons), gives the impression, which must in all likelihood have been intended by him, that mothers of migrant workers’ families and their unborn children are an inferior, worthless or less valuable sector of the population as a whole, and that it is in the interests of the Austrian people for such mothers to have abortions. Walter Grabher-Meyer has thereby presented migrant workers as being undeserving or unworthy of the respect of their fellow human beings; the authors of this information regard this as a tendentious incitement to hatred of and contempt for migrant workers in Austria, object thereto and lay this information. Count 2: Walter Grabher-Meyer is publicly proposing - and thereby calling in particular on the Austrian Parliament and the Federal Government to introduce - measures which constitute the substance of the offence of activities within the meaning of sections 3 and 3d of the Prohibition Act (see below). Count 3: Under section 3 of the Prohibition Act, activities of any sort on behalf of the NSDAP or its aims are prohibited, even if such activities are carried out outside that organisation. Section 3d of the Prohibition Act says that "A person who in public or in the presence of several persons ... instigates, incites or seeks to induce conduct prohibited by section 1 or section 3, in particular any person who for this purpose glorifies or extols the aims, organs or actions of the NSDAP, shall, unless a more serious offence appears therein, be punished by a term of imprisonment of from 10 to 20 years and confiscation of his entire property". The authors of this information refer in this connection to the 25 points of the NSDAP Manifesto of 24.2.1920. They note that, until the passing of the NSDAP Prohibition Act of 8 May 1945 by the Provisional Government, this manifesto remained the party’s sole programme and that it therefore contains in authentic and complete form the aims of the NSDAP’s programme. It says inter alia that: ‘5. A person who does not have German nationality is to be able to live in Germany only as a visitor and must be subject to aliens legislation. 7. We demand that the State undertake, first and foremost, to provide opportunities for employment and the subsistence of its citizens. If it is not possible to feed the entire population of the State, citizens of foreign nations (non-citizens) must be expelled from the Reich. 8. All further immigration of non-Germans is to be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans who have immigrated to Germany since 2 August 1914 be compelled to leave the Reich immediately.’ Creating a hostile attitude to citizens of foreign nations (non-citizens), and placing them in a less favourable position, to such an extent that it became difficult for them to live in the Reich and they were forced to leave, were essential aims of the NSDAP and its policy. Walter Grabher-Meyer’s proposal to increase family allowances for Austrian women by 50% in order to stop them having abortions for financial reasons, and at the same time to reduce family allowances for mothers of migrant workers’ families to half the present level, represents a cynical means of driving citizens of foreign nations out of the Republic of Austria and indeed forcing those who stay in the Republic of Austria to have abortions; being entirely consistent with and corresponding to the philosophy and aims of the NSDAP that ‘the State must first and foremost provide opportunities for employment and the subsistence of its citizens’, these proposals are aimed, amongst other things, at improving the living conditions of citizens (Austrian mothers) by worsening those of migrant workers and, at the same time, at preventing all further immigration of non-Austrians (see above, NSDAP points 7 and 8). From this it is apparent that Walter Grabher-Meyer has undertaken activities which correspond to the aims of the NSDAP, or at the very least has extolled its measures against citizens of foreign nations by proposing that such measures be applied in Austria. As to the accuracy of these allegations, the authors of this information rely on their own statements, the ORF newsreaders’ scripts for the Late News on television programmes 1 and 2 on 29.3.1983 and the NSDAP manifesto of 24.2.1920. This criminal information is therefore laid against Walter Grabher-Meyer etc. (Signed):..., Gerhard Oberschlick" 14. On 22 April 1983 Mr Grabher-Meyer brought a private prosecution for defamation (üble Nachrede, Article 111 of the Criminal Code - see paragraph 25 below) against the applicant and the other signatories of the criminal information. He also sought the immediate seizure of the relevant issue of Forum (sections 33 and 36 of the Media Act - Mediengesetz) and compensation from its owners (section 6 of the Media Act - see paragraph 26 below). 15. The Review Chamber (Ratskammer) of the Vienna Regional Criminal Court (Landesgericht für Strafsachen - "the Regional Court") decided on the same day to order the discontinuance of the proceedings under Article 485 para. 1 (4) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (see paragraph 28 below). It found that the publication did not constitute the criminal offence defined in Article 111 of the Criminal Code, since the case did not concern the wrongful attribution of a certain (dishonest) behaviour, but only value-judgments (Bewertung) on behaviour which, as such, had been correctly described. 16. On appeal by Mr Grabher-Meyer the Vienna Court of Appeal (Oberlandesgericht), composed of Mr Cortella, as President, and Mr Schmidt and Mr Hagen, quashed the above decision on 31 May 1983. It held that for the average reader the publication must have created the impression that a contemptible attitude (verächtliche Gesinnung) was ascribed to Mr Grabher-Meyer. The authors had disregarded the standards of fair journalism by going beyond a comparative and critical analysis of his statements and insinuating motives which he had not himself expressed, in particular by alleging that he had been guided by National Socialist attitudes. Accordingly, the case was referred back to the Regional Court. 17. On 20 July 1983 the defamation proceedings against the signatories of the criminal information other than Mr Oberschlick were severed from the main proceedings by the Regional Court and referred for decision to the Vienna District Court for Criminal Matters (Strafbezirksgericht), on the ground that those persons had not been associated with the publication in Forum. On 9 April 1984 the former proceedings were discontinued. 18. On 25 July 1983 the Regional Court ordered the publication in Forum of information about the defamation proceedings against the applicant (section 37 of the Media Act - see paragraph 26 below). This decision was confirmed by the Court of Appeal on 7 September 1983. 19. The Regional Court held a hearing on 11 May 1984, during which it heard evidence from Mr Grabher-Meyer and the applicant. The latter offered evidence that what he had written was true (Wahrheitsbeweis), claiming that in this respect it was sufficient to establish that a criminal information had actually been laid in the terms published in Forum. He argued that by reporting his suspicions he had been fulfilling a legal duty and that he was therefore exculpated under Article 114 of the Criminal Code (see paragraph 25 below). The fact that the legal qualification of Mr Grabher-Meyer’s statements might have been erroneous could not be held against him because he was not a lawyer. 20. On the same day the applicant was convicted of defamation (Article 111 paras.1 and 2) and sentenced to a fine of 4,000 Austrian schillings or, in default, to 25 days’ imprisonment. The Regional Court also made the following orders against the owners (Medieninhaber) of Forum - the Association of Editors and Employees of Forum (Verein der Redakteure und Angestellten des Forum): the seizure of the relevant issue of Forum, the publication of its judgment (sections 33 and 34 of the Media Act), and the award to Mr Grabher-Meyer of compensation of 5,000 schillings (section 6 of the Media Act). In addition, they were declared to be jointly and severally liable for the payment of the fine (section 35 para. 1 of the Media Act - see paragraph 26 below). In its judgment of 11 May 1984, the Regional Court held that it was bound by the opinion expressed by the Court of Appeal in its decision of 31 May 1983 (see paragraph 16 above). Therefore the objective conditions for the offence of defamation were satisfied. Mr Oberschlick also fulfilled the subjective requirements because he had acknowledged that he had intended to draw attention to what, in his opinion, was the National Socialist way of thinking of Mr Grabher-Meyer. Mr Oberschlick had, however, not established the truth of his allegations nor justified them. In the Regional Court’s view, it was not sufficient that this politician had made the criticised statements and that a criminal information regarding it had been laid in the terms published in Forum. The statements in question did not necessarily show the intentions Mr Oberschlick had inferred therefrom. It could also be understood as a proposal to reallocate the notoriously limited resources of the Family Compensation Fund in favour of Austrians in order to stem the influx of migrant workers. This admittedly revealed a xenophobic way of thinking, but did not yet amount to a National Socialist attitude or to a criminal offence. The fact that the publication involved only a reprint of the criminal information did not exculpate the applicant. Whilst everyone was free to report to the police facts which he considered constituted a criminal offence, it went far beyond the mere reporting of a criminal suspicion to publish the text of the information in a periodical and thus to make it accessible to the general public. There was no justification for doing so. In this respect, the applicant could not invoke a legal duty under Article 114 of the Criminal Code, namely to draw the public’s attention to the (allegedly) Nazi mentality of a high-ranking official of a governing party. That allegation came under the general rule that a person who had made an attack of this kind through the media had to prove that it was true. 21. Mr Oberschlick subsequently requested on several occasions to be supplied with a copy of the record of the hearing, but without success. It seems that it was not until after the communication of the written judgment on 24 August 1984 that the record reached the applicant. On 6 September he applied for a rectification of the trial record which, according to him, failed to mention certain statements by Mr Grabher-Meyer which were of importance for assessing the evidence concerning the truth of the applicant’s allegations. He had allegedly stated at the trial, inter alia, that he was opposed to excessive immigration of foreigners (Überfremdung) and that for tactical reasons he approved the "stop foreigners" campaign ("Ausländer Halt") which had been conducted by a right-wing political party and had subsequently been prohibited. He had also allegedly admitted having considered social-policy measures directed against the children of foreign workers in Austrian schools. On 4 October 1984 the Regional Court rejected this application, after having consulted the transcriber, on the ground that after five months the judge had no recollection of the detailed statements. It nevertheless pointed out that although the latter did not appear in the transcriber’s notes, similar statements did. 22. On 17 December 1984 the Vienna Court of Appeal, composed of the same judges and again presided over by Mr Cortella (see paragraph 16 above), dismissed the applicant’s appeal (Berufung). In relation to a complaint concerning the Regional Court’s decision of 4 October 1984 (see paragraph 21 above), the Court of Appeal observed that this decision was final. Furthermore, it did not appear that the Regional Court had failed to determine any requests made during the trial concerning the record. In any event, the statements in question were irrelevant for the judgment on the merits of the matter. 23. The Court of Appeal then dealt with the substantive issues. In its view, the Regional Court had not been legally bound by the Court of Appeal’s earlier decision concerning the qualification of the offence. The Court of Appeal, however, saw no reason to depart from that decision. What was decisive was that Mr Grabher-Meyer was alleged to have had motives which he himself had not expressed. The case therefore did not concern the (possibly incorrect) legal qualification of his statements, but allegations putting a stain on his character which objectively could not be inferred from those statements. According to the Court of Appeal, the Regional Court had rightly held that what had to be proved was the truth of the critical inferences as to Mr Grabher-Meyer’s character made in the article and had rightly found that the applicant had failed to bring this proof. The fact that a short report on the criminal information against this politician would not have been punishable did not justify the conclusion that a full reprint of it was not punishable either. The publication in the form of a criminal information was intended to ensure that the accusation as to his character made therein would have a particularly telling effect on the average reader. Neither the right to report a criminal suspicion (Article 86 para. 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure - see paragraph 27 below) nor the exception provided for in Article 114 para. 2 of the Criminal Code (see paragraph 25 below) justified the publication because it was not appropriate (mangels Anlassadäquanz): it had been insinuated, without a sufficient basis in the facts, that Mr Grabher-Meyer held National Socialist attitudes. 24. The written text of the judgment was served upon the applicant on 7 January 1985. On 25 September 1985 he requested the Attorney-General (Generalprokurator) to file a plea of nullity for the preservation of the law (Nichtigkeitsbeschwerde zur Wahrung des Gesetzes), but he was informed on 9 January 1986 that the Attorney-General did not intend to take any action. 25. Article 111 of the Criminal Code provides: "1. Anyone who in such a way that it may be perceived by a third person accuses another of possessing a contemptible character or attitude or of behaviour contrary to honour or morality and of such a nature as to make him contemptible or otherwise lower him in public esteem shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding six months or a fine ... 2. Anyone who commits this offence in a printed document, by broadcasting or otherwise in such a way as to make the defamation accessible to a broad section of the public shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine ... 3. The person making the statement shall not be punished if it is proved to be true. As regards the offence defined in paragraph 1, he shall also not be liable if circumstances are established which gave him sufficient reason to assume that the statement was true." Under Article 112, "evidence of the truth and of good faith shall not be admissible unless the person making the statement pleads the correctness of the statement or his good faith ...". Under Article 114 para. 1 "conduct of the kind mentioned in Article 111 ... is justified if it constitutes the fulfilment of a legal duty or the exercise of a right". Under paragraph 2 of the same provision "a person who is forced for special reasons to make an allegation within the meaning of Article 111 ... in the particular form and manner in which it was made, is not to be punished, unless that allegation is untrue and the offender could have been aware thereof if he had acted with the necessary care". 26. Section 6 of the Media Act provides for the strict liability of the publisher in cases of defamation; the victim can thus claim compensation from him. Furthermore, the publisher may be declared to be liable jointly and severally with the person convicted of a media offence for the fines imposed and for the costs of the proceedings (section 35). The person defamed may request the forfeiture of the publication by which a media offence has been committed (section 33). Under section 36 he may also request the immediate seizure of such a publication if section 33 is likely to be applied subsequently, unless the adverse consequences of seizure would be disproportionate to the legal interest to be protected by this measure. Seizure shall not be ordered if that interest can instead be protected by the publication of information that criminal proceedings have been instituted (section 37). Finally, the victim may request the publication of the judgment in so far as this appears necessary for the information of the public (section 34). 27. The first sentence of Article 86 para. 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure reads as follows: "Anybody who acquires knowledge of criminal conduct such as automatically attracts public prosecution shall have the right to report it." Furthermore, section 3 (g) para. 2 of the Prohibition Act imposes a duty to denounce offences under this Act in certain circumstances. Failure to fulfil this duty may be punished by imprisonment for between five and ten years. 28. Under the special simplified procedure - which was followed in this instance -, if a single judge of the Regional Court is of the opinion that the facts of the case do not constitute a criminal offence, he shall seek a decision by the Review Chamber of the Regional Court (Article 485 para. 1 (4) of the Code of Criminal Procedure), which shall order the discontinuance of the proceedings if it shares his view (Article 486 para. 3). The prosecution may appeal against such an order (Article 486 para. 4). If the Court of Appeal upholds the appeal and refers the case back to the Regional Court, the following special rules apply: "The trial court shall not be bound by decisions of the Review Chamber or of the court of second instance which confirm ... that the facts constitute a criminal offence ..." "Those members of the court of second instance who participated at a previous stage in the decision of the Review Chamber to discontinue the proceedings or in the determination of an appeal against such a decision (Article 486) shall be disqualified from hearing or determining an appeal." 29. Disqualification of a judge (Ausschliessung) is governed by the following provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure: "A judge is obliged to bring circumstances which disqualify him to the immediate attention of the president of the court of which he is a member ..." "From the moment when grounds for his disqualification come to his knowledge, every judicial officer (Gerichtsperson) shall refrain from any judicial acts, on pain of nullity. The judicial officer concerned may carry out judicial acts which are urgent, but only where there is danger in delay and if another judge or registrar cannot be appointed immediately. ..." 30. Furthermore, under Article 72 the parties to the proceedings may challenge (ablehnen) a judge if they can show that there are reasons for doubting his complete impartiality. Although Article 72 refers expressly to grounds "other than disqualification", it is the practice of the courts to apply Article 72 also in cases where a party raises an issue relating to a judge’s disqualification. In fact, the disqualification of a first-instance judge cannot subsequently be pleaded in nullity proceedings unless he was challenged before or at the trial or immediately after the ground for disqualification became known to the party (Article 281 para. 1 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure). The procedure applicable in this respect is the following: "Where a party seeks to challenge a judge, he may make an application in writing to the court of which the judge is a member or make an oral declaration to this effect before the registrar. He may do this at any time, except that, where the challenge concerns a member of the trial court, it must be made not later than 24 hours before the beginning of the hearing and, where it is directed against the whole court, not later than three days after service of the summons to attend the hearing. The application must specify and, as far as possible, justify the reasons for the challenge." "(1) As a rule it is for the president of the court of which the challenged judicial officer is a member to decide on the admissibility of the challenge. (2) ... (3) No appeal lies against such a decision ..." 31. Records of hearings before criminal courts in Austria are usually drawn up in summary form unless, for special reasons, the court orders the preparation of a shorthand transcript. A shorthand transcript must be prepared if this is requested by a party who advances the costs thereof (Article 271 para. 4). In other cases the record is limited to a note of all essential formalities of the proceedings. The parties are free to request the recording of specific points in order to preserve their rights (Article 271 para. 1, applicable to single-judge proceedings by virtue of Article 488). 32. Where the establishment of a verbatim version is important, the judge shall, upon the request of a party, order that particular passages be read out at once (Article 271 para. 2). The answers of the defendant and the depositions of the witnesses and experts shall be mentioned only if they contain deviations from, alterations of or additions to the statements recorded in the files or if the witnesses or experts are heard for the first time at the trial (Article 271 para. 3). 33. The parties are free to inspect the completed record and its appendices and to make copies thereof (Article 271 para. 5). Case-law has established that they are entitled to request additions or corrections to the record at the trial or afterwards, as long as an appeal is pending (Evidenzblatt, "EvBl", 1948, p. 32 and Sammlungstrafsachen, 32/108). The court’s decision on such a request is final and is not open to appeal (Richterzeitung, 1967, p. 88, EvBl. 1948/243). It is only total failure to prepare a trial record that is a ground of nullity (Article 281 para. 1 (3)). Other deficiencies in the record cannot be pleaded in nullity proceedings, except failure to decide on motions concerning the record which were made during the trial (Article 281 para. 1 (4)).