New investigations

New investigations against Last Generation

Protest action of the last generation(Bild: krone.tv)

The Vienna public prosecutor's office has initiated proceedings on suspicion of defamation against three Last Generation activists. The women had complained about their treatment in police custody. They stated that they had not been given any food for more than ten hours.

They were also denied contact with their lawyer after a protest action on November 22, 2023. In January, they appealed to the provincial administrative court. Following an investigation, the complaint also triggered criminal investigations into the officers involved on suspicion of abuse of authority.

The costs of the proceedings alone will make you think twice about whether you can prove the allegations.

Anwalt Clemens Lahner

However, the proceedings were discontinued and the provincial police directorate filed a report on suspicion of defamation. The case will be heard by the Vienna Administrative Court on June 25.

"The costs of the proceedings alone will make you think twice beforehand as to whether you can prove the allegations. The fact that the LPD (Vienna Provincial Police Directorate) is now shouting 'defamation' in response to our complaint about the length and conditions of detention instead of investigating the matter properly says a lot about the underdeveloped culture of error within the police", criticized lawyer Clemens Lahner.

Members of the Last Generation in front of the parliament in Vienna(Bild: krone.tv)

Lawyer: "Every person has a good right"
He had already inspected the file and it was "every person's right" to complain about an official police action. The Last Generation speaks of attempts to "silence them." "And all because we are fighting for the right to survive," said spokeswoman Marina Hagen-Canaval, herself a defendant in the defamation proceedings.

In total, investigations are currently underway (as of March 2024) against 38 accused members of the group, including on suspicion of criminal association, damage to property and serious damage to property.