Human rights in Austria
Human rights in Austria are generally respected by the government; however, there were problems in some areas. There were some reports of police abuse and use of unjustified force against prisoners. Antisemitic incidents, including physical attacks, name-calling, property damage, and threatening letters, telephone calls, and Internet postings occurred during the year. There was some governmental and societal discrimination against fathers, Muslims and members of unrecognized religious groups, particularly those considered "sects". There were incidents of neo-Nazi activity, rightwing extremism, and xenophobia. Trafficking in women and children for prostitution and labor also remained a problem. Respect for the integrity of the person Freedom from arbitrary or unlawful deprivation of life There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings. In August, a Vienna court found four members of the elite Wiener Einsatzgruppe Alarmabteilung police unit guilty of torturing and seriously injuring Gambian asylum seeker Bakary J. earlier in the year during a deportation incident. Three police officers received eight-month suspended sentences, and a fourth officer was given a six-month suspended sentence. The Austrian chapter of Amnesty International criticized the verdict as being too lenient. In August the attorney for a Nigerian asylum seeker claimed that Austrian police physically injured him during his forced deportation. The incident occurred in Frankfurt, Germany after the Nigerian refused to board a plane to Nigeria. Disappearances There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances. Freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment The law prohibits such practices; however, there were reports that police beat and abused persons. In 2005 the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) reported a "considerable number" of allegations of police mistreatment of criminal detainees. The interior ministry investigated these cases but concluded that none of the accusations could be verified. During the year the government continued to deny an extradition request from Kosovo authorities in the case of a police officer convicted in his absence for torture while serving in Kosovo's civilian international police in 2003. The government recalled the officer from Kosovo, but allowed him to remain on duty during the investigation. Following the investigation, the officer was removed from his former job in the Ministry of the Interior and demoted to a lower position. In October, the government officially closed the case. There were no reports during the year that army officials mistreated conscripts. However, in August 2017 a conscript died during a march. After this event some former conscripts unveiled that they had been exposed to intimidation and humiliation during their service time Prison and detention Center conditions Prison conditions generally met international standards in many areas, and the government permitted visits by independent human rights observers. A May report by the Human Rights Advisory Council explicitly criticized pre-deportation conditions in 2005 as "questionable from a human rights point of view," and, at times "not in conformity with human rights standards." Some human rights observers criticized the incarceration of nonviolent offenders, such as persons awaiting