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Jailed: Historian and critic of the Austriangovernment Stephan Templ was convicted ofdefrauding the state over a claim for the return ofproperty stolen from Jewish relatives by the Nazis
Holocaust historians attack 'obscene' jailterm for Jewish author who condemnedAustrian government over property stolenby the NazisStephan Templ coauthored book cataloguing hundreds of Jewishownedproperties seized by Nazis and never returnedPublication sparked wave of legal claims against the Austrian governmentMr Templ filed claim for a share of Viennese clinic on behalf of his motherBut he was convicted for fraud after it emerged his aunt was also entitledbut had missed the deadline for making a claimAustria said if would have been entitled to the money if the aunt hadchosen not to claim her share
By SIMON TOMLINSON FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 09:29, 5 October 2015 | UPDATED: 10:45, 5 October 2015
Dozens of Holocaust historians have attacked the'obscene' jail term handed to a critic of theAustrian government who was convicted ofdefrauding the state over a claim for propertystolen from his Jewish relatives by the Nazis.
Stephan Templ coauthored the book Our Viennain 2001 which catalogued hundreds of Jewishowned properties that were seized by Hitler'sregime and never returned.
The book – which identified major landmarksfrom the city's iconic ferris wheel to luxury hotels– sparked a wave of legal claims against theAustrian government from around the world.
Mr Templ himself went on to file a restitutionclaim on behalf of his 82yearold mother,Helene, for her share of a private birth clinic inVienna that belonged to his grandmother'scousin Lothar Fürth, it was reported by TheGuardian.The 19th Century villa near the Ringstrasse wasexpropriated by the Nazis in April 1938.
A month before it was seized, Furth and his wifeSue were forced to clean the pavement outsidethe building with toothbrushes in a final act ofhumiliation that led to them both committingsuicide.
Mr Templ, 54, submitted his claim after learningthat an arbitration panel set up as a result of a
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treaty between the U.S. and Austria to rule on thereturn of Naziconfiscated properties had decidedto return the sanatorium to the family's heirs.
The building was sold in 2010 and proceeds split between the 39 descendants, of which Helenereceived £800,000 for her share.
However, it later emerged that Helene's sister, Elisabeth Kretchmar, had also been in line for a sharebut had missed the deadline for making a claim.
Mr Templ was prosecuted for defrauding the government on the basis that if his aunt had chosennot to claim her share it could have gone to the Austrian government.
He was sentenced to three years in prison after a judge ruled he had 'damaged the Republic ofAustria' but this was reduced to a year on appeal.
This came even after Mrs Kretchmar told the court she would never have given the state her share.
Mr Templ filed a restitution claim on behalf of his 82yearold mother, Helene, for her share of a private birthclinic in Vienna that belonged to his grandmother's cousin Lothar Fürth. The 19th Century villa near theRingstrasse was expropriated by the Nazis after month after Hitler's invasion of Austria (above) in March 1938
Legal experts have condemned the ruling, saying that it was the obligation of the arbitration panel –and not Templ – to find the heirs.
Robert Amsterdam, a leading human rights lawyer who is representing Templ, said the case was an'affront to justice' and 'fraught with legal abnormalities'.
Seventyfive Holocaust historians have also signed a letter urging the Austrian government tooverturn the sentence.
Templ told The Guardian's Kate Connolly: 'Owing to the fact that the state stole the property frommy family, the obligation should be on them to track down the relatives.
'Imagine the nightmare for my mother. She says it's as if the Nazi persecution continues for her.'
Karl Pfeifer, a veteran Austrian journalist and a Holocaust survivor, said: 'The only reason Templ wasprosecuted is that he touched a nerve with his book.'
Templ begins his jail sentence today.
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Read more:Holocaust historians criticise Austria’s jailing of Jewish author | World news | The Guardian
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