We were anticipating the outcome of the Dr. Fredrick Toben Trial in Germany. I was still in the midst of a major non-website project and did not have access to either my office or my computer for several days, but I did receive a message from Dr. Toben two days ago that he had been released.
Below is just a partial summary of what I found out so far.
E-mail from a ZGram reader:
"Dr Toben just called me an hour ago, he is out of jail, in good spirits and will be returning to Australia in the next 2 weeks. Despite antagonistic articles being written about him in "certain" ethnic newspapers about him here in Australia Dr Toben was well liked in Mannheim Prison and the foreigners who make up 80% of the prison population in Mannheim Prison actually elected him to be their spokesman. I'm sure he will have a LOT to tell you when he returns."
And from David Irving's website at http://www.fpp.co.uk :
Mannheim Court in Uproar: Defence Lawyer quits, Toben Silent
Special to Action Report
Mannheim, Germany, Monday, November 8, 1999 -- At the first day of the trial of Dr Fredrick Toben, held here on Thursday, lawyer Dr Ludwig Bock resigned as defence counsel to the Australian website historian in protest against the illegality of the proceedings.
The Court has ordered Bock to attend this week's hearing as Toben's court-appointed lawyer, and threatened imprisonment for contempt if he does not. Both Bock and Toben have announced to AR-Online that they will remain silent throughout the proceedings, which are expected to last all week with a police official giving evidence on Friday.
They will not open their mouths during the coming trial, as this is the only means left open to them to protest against Germany's unique laws for the suppression of free speech and against the suppression of proper judicial procedures. Lawyer Dr Bock: "This is an illegal trial."
Toben has been held in prison since he was arrested on April 9 during a pre-arranged visit to the office of Mannheim public prosecutor Hans Heiko Klein, who has been compared with Hitler's notorious hanging judge Roland Freisler. Some witnesses say that Klein has single-handedly done more harm to Germany's reputation among international jurists than any other person or event since the end of World War II.
Lawyer Dr Bock has protested that Klein has even threatened him with a jail sentence, for having stated in public as defence counsel that his client Dr Toben had been wrongfully arrested and imprisoned. "It was necessary for me to withdraw from the case," he has told AR-Online, "in order that the judges cannot afterwards maintain this was a fair trial."
Bock has described Toben's illegal arrest as a crime against humanity.
Yesterday, Ernst called and said that he, too, had received a call from Fredrick Toben after his release. Ernst thought that Fredrick was in good spirits and more feisty than ever. To that, I only want to add that I sure hope a book will come out of this - just like the one Hans Schmidt wrote of his illegal arrest and detention.
One more time, Germany has behaved abominably, and the entire world has noticed.
We are awaiting further news.
Ingrid
Thought for the Day:
"I'm not so sure that a foreign website is SENDING messages TO other countries, rather OTHER countries COME TO foreign websites to read and download. Therefore, Germans cannot claim that foreign material is ENTERING Germany, therefore coming under German law, the Surfer, like a tourist, goes to another country, via the INTERNET, visiting France or Australia or the United States, bringing back souveniers. It rather is an IMPORT from a foreign country and not an EXPORT to Germany."
(A Zundelsite reader in response to the Toben arrest)