Austria sentences Palestinian asylum seeker to life

Man, 27, also convicted for being Hamas member

By Askin Kiyagan

VIENNA (AA) - A Palestinian asylum seeker was sentenced to life for using social media to encourage suicide attacks in Israel, a local court said Monday.

A court in Krems an der Donau located approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of the capital of Vienna, said in a statement the 27-year-old Palestinian was also accused of being a member of the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

The man, whose name was not disclosed in accordance with Austrian law, was arrested in 2016 at a refugee center in the Widviertel region on several charges, including opposing the state’s authority and slandering a doctor.

He has been in the Josefstadt prison since his arrest last year.

The man served a nine-year prison sentence in Israel and fled to Austria in 2016.

Defense lawyers are appealing the decision.

Kaynak: