Canadian Association for Free Expression
Box 332, Rexdale, Ontario,
M9W 5L3
Ph: 905-897-7221; FAX: 905-277-3914
Paul Fromm, B.Ed, M.A. Director
May 5, 2005
Herr Gerhard Schroeder,
Chancellor,
Federal Republic of Germany,
11012 Berlin,
GERMANY.
Re: Imprisonment of Ernst Zundel
Your Excellency:
I am writing to you on behalf of the many Canadians we
represent who are concerned about freedom of speech and freedom of thought.
Particularly, I want to voice our concern about your country's imprisonment
of Ernst Zundel, who lived for many years in Canada.
A very successful graphic artist in his professional life,
Mr. Zundel studied the history of the Twentieth Century and became highly
sceptical of the conventional accounts, especially as they related to the
treatment of Jews in detention camps in the Third Reich and to German guilt
in general. Whether his opinions are valid or not is immaterial. The UN
Declaration of human rights enshrines freedom of thought and expression and
freedom of speech as among man's most basic rights.
As you must know, Mr. Zundel, a German citizen, was
extradited to Germany on March 2 and has since been in "investigative
detention" at Mannheim prison. His political/historical views are under
investigation.
May is an emotion charged time, marking as it does the 6o
anniversary of the end of World War II. The order than emerged in 1945
promised a freer more democratic world. Surely, democracy entails freedom of
speech and belief.
Respectfully, we find the incarceration of Mr. Zundel, who
has, apparently, not yet been charged with anything, offensive. Mr. Zundel
is a prisoner of conscience -- in prison solely for the non-violent
expression of his political/historical opinions.
We urge your government to release Mr. Zundel and show the
world that the new Germany is one that respects freedom of belief and
freedom of speech.
Respectfully, Sir, we ask:
-
Is it true that an arrest warrant was sworn out by the
German government on the very day of the Zundel deportation to Canada,
even though the statutes of limitation on previous charges for
"speech crimes" had expired?
-
Is it true that Ernst Zundel has not yet been charged by
the German government, even though he has been in detention in a German
prison for almost two months?
-
Is it true that the letters of Ingrid Rimland, his wife
who is an American citizen, are withheld from him?
Looking forward to a response to our concerns, I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Paul Fromm
cc: Dr. Klaus Rupprecht, Consul General of the Federal
Republic of Germany, Suite #1711, 77 Bloor Street, West, Toronto, ON,
Canada.
