https://www.krone.at/2728762
“Rapist free: ‘No danger!,'” translated from “Vergewaltiger frei: „Keine Gefährlichkeit!,“ Kronen Zeitung, June 11, 2022:In February 2016, a Tyrolean woman was brutally raped by an Afghan asylum seeker in Innsbruck. Now her tormentor is free again, he was released early from prison.
Angelika M. (name changed) experienced hell on earth. In the meadow of a block of flats in the Sillhöfe, an Afghan asylum seeker attacked her like a sick animal, raped her several times, covered her mouth with all his might and hit and bit her. Only when her friend, whom she wanted to see, noticed what had happened and yelled out the window did the man let go of her. The martyrdom lasted an hour, Angelika M. suffered heavy bleeding in her abdomen. In 2016, the asylum seeker was sentenced to seven years in prison and 5,000 euros in damages.
“I feel let down”
“A few weeks ago the doorbell rang at my apartment. I was informed that my tormentor would be released from prison the following day – although the seven years had not yet passed – and that he would remain in Austria, so he would not be deported,” the Tyrolean said in an interview with “Krone.” “That is negligent. I just feel let down by the state of Austria. It is truly outrageous how many injustices I am confronted with as an Austrian who has always worked well. My life will be strategically destroyed.”
“Who guarantees me that nothing will happen to me?”
Angelika M. expected the Afghan to be released from prison earlier. “But the fact that he is actually allowed to stay in Austria after this crime is terrible for me. I can’t understand that; after all, he’s a convicted dangerous criminal. I’m still scared of him. Immediately after the crime he made death threats to me and my girlfriend. He is considered a potential danger not only for me, but for society. Who guarantees me that nothing will happen to me? Who will protect me? I’m scared for my life,” she says.
After a hard fight “everything starts again from the beginning”
The Tyrolean, who has several children and grandchildren, has fought her way back to life step by step since martyrdom six years ago. “I had anxiety and insomnia, was looked after by a clinic psychologist for a year, got in touch with various aid organizations and completed self-defence courses. Among other things, I learned how best to behave in dangerous situations. I finally managed to process or repress the rape. I also dared to go to work again. But the early release of my tormentor pulls the rug out from under my feet again. I have panic attacks, I’m back in psychological treatment, everything starts all over again,” she laments.
As she says herself, she should actually go abroad immediately to feel safe: “Unfortunately, I don’t have the financial means for that. And let’s be honest, it’s really sad that that’s the only way.”
Lawyer: “Procedure must be questioned”
The Tyrolean rape victim is represented by lawyer Markus Abwerzger. He, too, just shakes his head at the new developments. “The Afghan asylum seeker who committed the crime and was sentenced for it has served two-thirds of his sentence and has now been paroled. The fact that he is still in Austria and has not yet been deported is absolutely incomprehensible and should definitely be questioned,” he emphasizes.
“It’s breaking my whole life up”
The judiciary actually had five whole years to obtain a residence ban against the convicted criminal. “And in my opinion, it should have ensured that the asylum seeker was transferred from criminal detention directly to detention pending deportation and then deported. Because with such a serious offense he will never receive a positive decision anyway. That is a very clear case.”
Does the convicted criminal have a job?
But the judiciary does not seem to be pursuing the goal of deporting the convicted criminal – at least not for the moment.
According to experts, the therapy course that a convicted criminal completed behind bars after a brutal rape in Innsbruck worked well. So he was released early.
The Afghan asylum seeker who raped a Tyrolean woman in Innsbruck for an hour in 2016 was released early a few weeks ago. He served two-thirds of his seven-year sentence. Angelika M. (name changed) and her lawyer Markus Abwerzger not only criticize the conditional release, but also the fact that the man was not deported.
“The judiciary had five years to obtain a residence ban against the convicted criminal. Because with such a serious crime, he will never receive a positive decision anyway,” says Abwerzger. The victim is desperate: “I’m scared. Who guarantees me that I am safe? Now everything starts all over again.”
“Perpetrator is definitely much older than 18 years”
The “Tiroler Krone” confronted the regional court in Innsbruck with the cause. “Although the man was convicted by us, he served his sentence in the Korneuburg prison. Therefore, the court there is responsible,” says Irene Pfisterer, judge and spokeswoman for the Innsbruck Regional Court.
Psychologists examined convicted criminals
After a perpetrator has served two thirds of his sentence, only the so-called “special preventive reasons” can be examined, emphasizes Wolfgang Schuster-Kramer, Vice President and spokesman for the Korneuburg Regional Court, “that means that psychologists assess whether the perpetrator is still dangerous and must remain in detention or not.”
In principle, sex offenders start behind bars with an appropriate therapy unit. “It was the same in this case. Experts came to the conclusion that the therapy had worked well for the asylum seeker, his prognosis was positive and there was no longer any danger. A judge conditionally released the man on the basis of this,” says the spokesman.
No information on the whereabouts of the Afghans
Schuster-Kramer could not provide any information about the whereabouts and possible deportation of the convicted Afghan: “That is a matter for the immigration police and no longer for the court.”
