AustriaDemokratie 27 · Democracy and the Republic's core principles

A person has been charged with a criminal offence. What applies to them while the criminal proceedings are ongoing?

In the exam (German)

Eine Person ist wegen einer Straftat angeklagt. Was gilt für sie, solange das Strafverfahren läuft?

  1. aThey are considered innocent until their guilt has been established by a final judgment.Sie gilt als unschuldig, bis ihre Schuld rechtskräftig festgestellt ist.Correct answer
  2. bThey are considered guilty from the moment they are charged.Sie gilt ab der Anklage als schuldig.
  3. cThe police may set their punishment even before the judgment.Die Polizei darf ihre Strafe schon vor dem Urteil festlegen.
  4. dIt is up to them to prove that they are innocent.Sie muss selbst beweisen, dass sie unschuldig ist.

Why?

This is the presumption of innocence (Unschuldsvermutung), which is also laid down in the European Convention on Human Rights. Only a final judgment of an independent court can establish that someone is guilty.

Translated with AI. In the exam the question is in German, as shown above.

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Source

Our own practice questions on the content of the official learning material “Mein Österreich” and the federal states’ learning materials. They are not the real exam questions – those are not published – and we have not copied wording from the materials. Every question was answered a second time, independently, and checked against public sources. The English translation and the explanations were made with AI; in the exam the questions are asked in German. Not an official service: no connection with the Federal Ministry of the Interior or the offices of the state governments.

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