Todesstrafe#
The death penalty in Austria was abolished by Joseph II in 1781. It was, however, restored for treason in 1795 ( Jacobin Conspiracy) and for other capital crimes under the Criminal Law in 1803. In 1919 it was abolished again but re-established in 1934 (civil war). Under Nazi rule the death penalty was widely applied, in particular to political opponents of Nazism. After World War II the death penalty remained statutory for some time but was abolished in 1950; in court martial it was abolished in 1968. In 1988 Austria ratified the Convention on the Abolition of the Death Penalty.
Literature#
F. Ermacora, Grundriss der Menschenrechte in Oesterreich, 1988.