Graubünden Hunters: Association Paid Court Costs for Convicted Member

Walter Candreia, editor of the notorious propaganda outlet «Bündner Jäger», had once again overstepped the mark.

Regional courts in Graubünden found the journalist guilty of violating personal rights and defamation respectively. In his article on the special hunting initiative, he had referred to the outgoing SVP cantonal councillor Christian Mathis — a supporter of the initiative and at the time a member of the Graubünden Cantonal Licensed Hunters’ Association — as a sniper, among other things.

Both are members of the Graubünden Cantonal Licensed Hunters’ Association. For one of them, the initiative to abolish the special hunting season was absolutely “hostile to hunting.” The other fought on the front lines in support of the initiative, writes the Südostschweiz.

Mathis felt that this choice of words violated his personal rights and filed a lawsuit. The ruling of the Prättigau/Davos Regional Court in November 2017 was clear: Mathis was vindicated. His personal rights had been violated by Candreia’s statements. In addition, Candreia was ordered to pay Mathis CHF 2’669.75 in out-of-court compensation and CHF 3’333.35 in court costs.

In the case of Christian Mathis versus Walter Candreia, the latter was proven to be the loser. Yet he did not pay a single centime. His association covered all costs. In March 2018, the Graubünden Cantonal Licensed Hunters’ Association paid a total of CHF 6’003.10 for the legal proceedings. “With our money,” association members are now complaining. “They wouldn’t cover our costs,” they say.

Second Court Case

The case of Walter Candreia versus Christian Mathis continues to have far-reaching consequences. On May 14 of this year, the Albula Regional Court found Candreia guilty of defamation in connection with the same case. He was punished with a fine of 650 francs and procedural costs of 4’895 francs. Whether the Graubünden licensed hunters' association also covered the total of 5’545 francs remains unclear.

The dubious president of the hobby hunters' association, Robert Brunold, is also annoyed — because the story has become public. That is hardly what transparency looks like.

Criminal energy at the «Bündner Jäger»

Wild beim Wild has also previously taken legal action against the small magazine «Bündner Jäger» and thus against its editor-in-chief Walter Candreia, because with troubling regularity he expresses a glorification or trivialization of violence in the context of recreational hunting and depicts the cruel and inhumane nature of events in a hurtful manner.

Animal abuse and depictions of violence are not to be dismissed as minor personality flaws among hobby hunters; rather, they stand as symptoms of a deep-seated mental disorder. Research in the field of psychology and criminology shows that people who commit acts of violence against animals do not stop there; many of them go on to commit violence against fellow human beings. More on crime and recreational hunting.