05/15/2008

'There Are Also Good and Honest People'

Fritzl Incest Victims Thank Public

The messages describe the joy of experiencing sunlight and fresh air and express thanks to the public for their support. Elisabeth Fritzl and her children have written a poster which is being displayed in the town of Amstetten in which they say they hope that they can one day lead a normal life.

The family has spent the past few weeks in a clinic getting to know each other and trying to come to terms with their horrific ordeal. Now they have decided to thank the public for their support.

Elisabeth Fritzl was imprisoned in a dungeon and raped by her father Josef Fritzl for 24 years. She gave birth to seven children, three of whom were taken upstairs to live with her parents, another died. Her other three children spent their entire lives underground in a windowless cellar until last month.

Now Elisabeth, along with five of her children and her mother, have made their first contact with the world outside the clinic where they are staying in Amstetten, Austria. A hand-written poster thanking people for their support has been hanging in a shop window since Tuesday in the town where the terrible abuse took place.

The illustrated poster features outlines of the family members' hands with messages written inside. The main one reads: "We, the whole family, want to take this opportunity to thank you all for the sympathy you have shown for our fate. Your compassion helps us a lot to cope with this difficult time and shows us that there are also good and honest people. We hope the time will come for us when we can find our way back into normal life again."

Elisabeth's 18-year-old son, Stefan, who was imprisoned in the basement and had never seen natural light until April, describes his enjoyment of experiencing the sun, fresh air and nature for the first time. His brother, five-year-old Felix, says he would like to play with children and run across a meadow.

Elisabeth's mother Rosemarie, who believed her husband's story that the three other children had been left on their doorstep by her daughter after she had joined a sect, also writes a message: "I miss my dear friends and freedom," she says.

The family itself suggested creating the poster and discussed it with the doctors treating them, their lawyer Christoph Herbst told Austrian news agency APA.

In the poster, the family members also describe how they miss Kerstin, Elisabeth's eldest daughter who is still in a coma in the hospital in Amstetten. It was her illness that brought the terrible incest case to light after her father Josef Fritzl brought her to the hospital. He then appeared with Elisabeth after police appealed for her mother to contact them. It was only then that his web of lies began to unravel and he was arrested.

smd/dpa

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