Aeryn Gillern
Aeryn Gillern
What happened to Aeryn Gillern?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-ralls/quest-for-an-inquest-as-a_b_142517.html
On October 30, 2008, while in Vienna for the one year anniversary of Aeryn’s disappearance, I met with members of the Green Party of Parliament. On December 11, 2008, they filed an official Inquest with the Minister of the Interior questioning the Police Investigation as well as the behavior of the police.
This is a copy of the Green Party request for a Formal Inquest, below that is an unofficial English translation of the Inquest that was done by a friend of Aeryn’s.
INQUIRY
Of MP Luncace and Pilz, friends (m./f.)
To the Federal Minister of the Interior Dr.Maria Fekter
Concerning missing person case Aeryn Gillern
As already reported in various media, recently detailed in the weekly magazine “Der Falter”, edition 47/08 page 40ff, the US-citizen Aeryn Gillern vanished on 29th Oct 2007 under mysterious, not yet clarified circumstances.
The mother of the missing person – herself retired police officer – in this article, addresses heavy reproaches to the work of Viennese police in this case. During the weeks after the disappearance of her son in Vienna, she tried to find clarity. Though she did not meet with help, but rather with homophobic behaviour and unkindliness. The mother is cited in the article as follows:
“I have never before experienced so much barbarism/rawness, rudeness and non-
professionalism. […] If I say that the behaviour of police borders on sadism, then
I do not exaggerate.”
She says, the Vienna Police have acted rawly and non-cooperative, because her son was gay.
She says, that the police have asked her, if she is actually proud of the fact to have a gay son. She says, the investigators have refused talking English, and at the same time have implied that they master the language. With a mocking undertone they have asked the kind of her police-work, if she has been park-sheriff in America. She tells that the interpreter – a UNIDO worker – has begged police-officers to have a break in talking, that she can translate for Kathy Gilleran. And the police officers have denied.
Beside the accusation of unfriendly, non-cooperative behaviour, emerge from the Falter-article and also of supplementary informations, but also solution-requiring contradictions and inconsistency in the pretended “official version” of the facts.
Due to the “official version” the missing person is said to have run naked out of the sauna in Weihburggasse without obvious reason on 29th Oct.2007 shortly after 19:00, in further sequence ran till Danube-canal and there has committed suicide by a jump in the Danube-Canal. There is said to be one witness for the suicide. The police assumes as a motive that the missing person has received a positive HIV-test.
Several circumstances are (speak) against this version:
First of all Aeryn Gillern was a happy, steadfast, socially integrated human, with absolutely no indication of endangerment of suicide. This is validated by friends, co-workers, neighbours, the family-doctor and last but not least his mother. Gillern has arranged meetings with acquaintances the following days, bought flight-tickets, and also had left his flat in a condition to return.
The Falter-article mentions rumours after which there should have been a fight in the Sauna before the disappearance, but this is denied by the owner.
When the mother received the things of her son, that remained in the sauna, of the police, she found a current and negative HIV-test in the bag. She conveyed this proof to the police, nevertheless they kept to their assumptions.
The missing person shall have left (? Please excuse my lack of tense-knowledge ) the sauna, leaving behind his belongings. With the clothes and bag his mother received also his mobile-phone. It arises that Gillern still at 19:20 was on the phone with an acquaintance, and shortly afterwards sent an sms to his friend in Switzerland. As he did apparently not take the phone with him on his “escape”out of the sauna, the official report cannot be true.
A naked man, who ran hundreds of meters through Vienna, and a following search with divers, should have for sure causes a sensation, and would have also been recognized by media. A media-research though says, that during the days immediately after the disappearance, absolutely no reports of this incident had been appeared.
Not until the persistent urging of the mother, on 20th Nov.2007 a report of the newspaper “Heute” with the request for hints was published. According to Heute of 21st Nov.2007 they have received hints of passers-by. That there was no report of a dive-operation in the middle of Vienna on 30th Oct. or shortly afterwards, is astonishing.
Finally the alleged witness of the suicide is said to have changed his testimony several times: initially it was that he saw a bold headed man floating in the canal, later he only has heard a “splash”
Therefore the signed (means the people that have signed the inquiry) deputies place following
INQUIRY
1.Are in the itemed case still investigations pending, or is the file closed?
2. How is the probable course of events of the disappearance of Aeryn Gillern to your perception?
3. Were those rumours checked by the responsible investigators, whereupon there was a quarrel in the sauna before the disappearance?
4. How many persons were interrogated altogether by the responsible Investigators in this connection?
5. How does police get the opinion, that a positive HIV-Test can be a motive for suicide, if such an actual test was part of the belongings of the missing person and was conveyed to police afterwards again?
6. How do you explain for yourself the fact, that Aeryn Gillern verifiably used his phone after 19:00, which remained in the Sauna, although he is said to had left the Sauna already before 19:00?
7. Were these contradictions recorded in the file and worked on?
8. At which time the emergency call was done, that led to the search on 29th Oct.2007?
9. Who gave this emergency-call?
10. What was the content of this emergency-call?
11. Which measures were taken because of the call?
12. Did a search with divers take place?
13. Which unit did execute the search?
14. How many divers were on duty and how are their (personal-)numbers?
15. From when to when was the mission executed?
16. In which area was the mission executed?
17. For which reasons was the mission stopped without results?
18. Who made this decision?
19. Where there search-dogs in addition to the divers?
20. If yes: which traces were searched for?
21. Did further searches take place in this case since the search of 29th oct.2007?
22. If yes: of which kind were these searches?
23. When did they take place?
24. With which result?
25. Was there contact with other Danube-neighbouring countries concerning the probable finding unknown drowning victims?
26. Was there a cadaver of an unknown drowned person found meanwhile, that could be Aeryn Gillern?
27. If yes: was the mother of the missing informed of this fact?
28. Were there handed out copies of the file in this case to the mother of the missing person?
29. If not, why not?
30. Are the accusations of the mother concerning the non-cooperative and of presentiments against gays characterized behaviour of the investigating officials appropriate?
31. If no: which investigation-measures were set to verify these reproaches?
32. If yes, which disciplinary measures were set until now, or will be in future concerning this non-appropriate behaviour
33. Is there a connection of the approach of police to the case with the letter of complaint Aeryn Gillern wrote to AI, in which he complained about inappropriate, brutal treatment by policemen on the occasion of a ticket-control on 11th Jan 2003?
34. Can you exclude that Aeryn Gillern was victim of a violence-crime?
35. If yes: based on which facts and proofs?
36: If no, which further investigational negotiations will be held, to be able to exclude a violence-crime in this case?
37. Do you think the procedure of the police is appropriate in this case?
38. Do you think the procedure of the police in this case is favourable for the picture of Austria in the world?
39. How do you want to assure in the future, that relatives of missing persons, no matter if Austrian or from abroad, come across in forthcoming, compassionate, and comprehensible manner?