German publicist sentenced in Austria for violating Nazi ban law

A German publicist has been sentenced to four years in prison in Austria for violating the country's Prohibition Act, which bans Nazi activities.

The regional court in Graz found him guilty in his role as former editor-in-chief and managing director of the right-wing magazine Aula, the Austrian news agency APA reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, he was also convicted over statements he made in court that the jury considered a trivialization of Nazi crimes.

Prosecutors accused the defendant of having promoted racist ideas, anti-Semitism and other Nazi-era stereotypes in the now-discontinued publication for years. The defendant rejected the accusations during the trial. The verdict is not yet final.

The final issue of Aula appeared in 2018. The magazine was published by academic associations with close ties to Austria's Freedom Party (FPÖ) and was known for publishing revisionist articles and interviews with German extremists.

According to a report by the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW), commissioned by the Interior Ministry, the publication served for years as a bridge between the FPÖ and the far-right extremist scene.