Overview

• The Krems Regional Court ruled that Josef Fritzl still poses a risk, citing violent delusions and aggression toward family members.
• Judges said his release was also impractical because he lacks a support network, a responsible caregiver, a residence and adequate preparation for life outside prison.
• The decision is not final, and attorney Astrid Wagner plans to contest it while seeking his transfer to a dementia care facility.
• Fritzl became eligible to apply for release after a 2024 move from a psychiatric unit to a standard prison, with his lawyer filing the request in August.
• He is serving a life sentence imposed in 2009 for incest, rape, coercion, false imprisonment, enslavement and negligent homicide.