Austria urged to revoke Arnie's citizenship

VIENNA - California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a citizen of both the United States and Austria, should be stripped of Austrian citizenship for allowing a convicted murderer to be executed, an Austrian politician says.

Schwarzenegger rejected a clemency appeal by triple-murderer Donald Beardslee, which gave San Quentin prison the green light for California's first execution in three years on Wednesday.

"The death penalty is unacceptable in Austria and Europe. No Austrian citizen is allowed to take part in or order executions," Peter Pilz, the security spokesman for Austria's Green Party, told the Austrian Press Agency (APA) on Saturday.

Pilz, whose opposition Green Party is the smallest political group in parliament, said Schwarzenegger's support for the death penalty not only violates Austrian law but has damaged the country's image as a modern peace-loving nation.

"Schwarzenegger is probably the most prominent Austrian abroad and this creates an image of Austria overseas," he said.

Opinion polls routinely show that this Alpine nation of eight million overwhelmingly opposes the death penalty.

Pilz's campaign appeared to have little chance of success.

He quoted a section of the State Citizenship Act that allows the state to revoke citizenship if a person harms the state's interests in a grave way.

Pilz said that he sent a letter to the Austrian interior ministry formally demanding that Schwarzenegger's citizenship be revoked. Ministry officials were not available for comment.

- REUTERS