The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) did not satisfy the complaint of an Austrian citizen, which the court in Vienna sentenced to a fine for comparing the actions of the Prophet Muhammad with pedophilia. In this case, there is no violation of Article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (freedom of expression), according to a decision published on the ECHR website on Thursday, October 25.

Austrian E. In 2009, on behalf of the right-wing Austrian Party, it was free to hold two seminars on the topic "Fundamentals of Islam". At the same time, talking about Aisha, whom the prophet Muhammad married when she was a child, E. wondered if it could be called pedophilia.

In August 2010, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Vienna accused E. stirring up religious hatred. In February 2011, the Land Court for Criminal Cases in Vienna partially acquitted the Austrian, leaving the charge of disregard for religious teaching.. ordered to pay court costs and a fine of 480 euros. appealed the decision of the court, but she was rejected. Then the Austrian appealed to the ECHR, claiming a violation of freedom of speech.

Austrian courts thoroughly weigh arguments E. and the prosecution and concluded that the accused had crossed the boundaries of an objective approach, “trying to directly blacken Muhammad” and thereby violating the freedom of religion in Austria, according to the ECHR decision.

In particular, the Land Court in Vienna pointed out that marriages with minors are not the same thing as pedophilia, and in the early Middle Ages they were "commonplace not only for Islam, but also widespread among European ruling dynasties".

Source: DW.