At Wednesday’s hearing, the judge questioned whether the plaintiffs’ claims could be dealt with in civil courts. Before any process recording, this should now be discussed in more detail.
For the representative of the Republic, Martin Tatschner, it is also uncertain whether civil proceedings are the legally correct way to claim such damages. He also advised those affected to first wait for the decision on payments from the terror victim fund – although this official path is “unfortunately slow”, it is certainly faster than the strenuous process.
Terror: Another lawsuit from survivors
In connection with the 2020 terrorist attack in Vienna, another official liability lawsuit against the Republic of Austria will be heard on Wednesday. The parents and brother of a killed 21-year-old complained. They criticize official failures.
Asked for almost 130,000 euros
The parents and brother of a 21-year-old killed in the attack have complained. The family is convinced that the attack could have been prevented if the authorities had not acted in advance. The family relies on the findings of the Zerbes Commission and is now demanding almost 130,000 euros from the state. The lawsuit also includes the request for a declaration that the Republic is liable for future consequential damages. The parents of the deceased are currently severely mentally impaired and unable to work.
“We expect that it will be determined that there is fault here and that they will then be awarded damages and the funeral costs – so that they can then subsequently cover their expenses,” lawyer Burger told “Vienna Today”. So far, the family has received a total of 10,500 euros due to the Crime Victims Act and for funeral costs, which have not been fully covered.
anger about politics
Only after the lawsuit had been filed was 10,000 euros per person offered for grief compensation. However, a letter states that the amount is still being checked – so it may be that it has to be repaid.
After the trial, the victim’s relatives vented their anger at the procedure – especially the politicians. The uncle of the 21-year-old who was killed criticized the fact that the then Minister of the Interior and current Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) never contacted them. “There was no apology, there was nothing human,” the man said. But now he doesn’t expect that anymore.
Commission pointed out glitches on the part of the authorities
The assassin in Vienna was paroled early after being convicted of a terrorist association and subsequently did not come into the focus of the intelligence agencies, although there were warning signals. The 20-year-old supporter of the radical Islamist terrorist militia “Islamic State” attended a meeting of radical Islamists in Vienna a little over three months before the attack. He also tried to buy ammunition for an automatic assault rifle in Slovakia.
In its final report, the Zerbes Commission also pointed out other internal breakdowns, such as the risk assessment program for threats, data processing and the flow of information between the then Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Combating Terrorism (BVT) and the Vienna State Office for the Protection of the Constitution.