Jürgen Graf sentenced to prison term

Terrified Swiss court bows to the mood of submission

The Associated Press agency announced (July 21) the sentencing of author Jürgen Graf (picture) and publisher Gerhard Förster to savage prison terms for printing differing views on history.

[AR-Online notes: Jürgen Graf (address: Guideon Burg Verlag, Postfach 52, CH 4009 Basel, Switzerland), is author of AUSCHWITZ. TÄTERGESTÄNDNISSE UND AUGENZEUGEN DES HOLOCAUST (Switzerland, August 1994). Together with revisionist linguist and scholar Carlo Mattogno, Graf visited Moscow in November and December 1995 and made important discoveries in Soviet archives of captured Auschwitz documents.]

[ German texts of court proceedings and closing speech by Graf].

1.

Holocaust Revisionist Imprisoned

BADEN, Switzerland (AP) - A Swiss author who wrote books denying the existence of Nazi gas chambers and a publisher who printed them were sentenced to prison terms Tuesday by a Swiss court.

Writer Jürgen Graf and his publisher, Gerhard Förster, a former officer in Hitler's army, were convicted of breaking Switzerland's law against racial discrimination.

Graf, 47, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and Foerster, 78, received one year. They were each fined $5,500, and were required to hand over the proceeds from Graf's books, which totaled $38,000.

Judge Andrea Staubli said the pair's lack of remorse contributed to the sentences.

2.

During the four-day trial, defense attorneys argued the two men were exercising their right to free speech. Graf's lawyer said he should not be punished since he wrote the books before the 1995 anti-racism law took effect.

Graf has stood by his views since then, however. He still claims it is an exaggeration to say 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust and claims the Nazis never used gas chambers to kill Jews and others.

"I'm not shocked at the sentence, but very happy with everything I have achieved," said Graf, a former private school teacher who has been writing revisionist books since 1993. He said he would appeal.

Foerster said he didn't understand the ruling. "Tell me what I've done wrong," he said to reporters.

© Associated Press

Dazu die rechtsstehende Webzeitschrift "National-Journal":

"DER SCHWEIZER Staatsanwalt Aufdenblatten versuchte im Prozeß gegen Jürgen Graf und Gerhard Förster den deutschen Menschenrechtsschänder Hans-Heiko Klein zu überbieten: Professor Robert Faurisson ließ er als Zeugen der Verteidigung auf Antrag der (jüdischen) Nebenkläger nicht aussagen, dem anderen Zeugen verlangte er bei Strafandrohung ab, nur das zu sagen, was er als Staatsanwalt bereits in die Anklageschrift gegen den KZ-Forscher Graf und seinen Verleger geschrieben hatte. Die Schweizerfeinde in der Schweiz sind zusammen mit den Antideutschen in Deutschland stolz auf diesen neuen Stern am Holocaust-Verfolgungshimmel."