Case #0037
Dr. med. Andreas Sönnichsen

Dr. med. Andreas Sönnichsen

Internal medicine and general medicine  ·  Salzburg, Austria
Criminal case ended in a final acquittal; several disciplinary proceedings by the Medical Chamber still open, two fines, complaint to the Constitutional Court pending.
Case Report — Documentation

Type of persecution

  • State criminal prosecution (final and binding acquittal at second instance)
  • Around ten disciplinary proceedings by the Medical Chamber
  • Termination of his university professorship at the Medical University of Vienna
  • Public discrediting

Accusation

  • Issuing false health certificates under Section 55 of the Austrian Medical Act (Ärztegesetz)
  • COVID vaccination-exemption certificates and measles vaccination-exemption certificates – issued without a physical examination
  • Grounds for termination cited by the university: allegedly unscientific statements and an alleged breach of the university’s COVID regulations

What actually happened?

All certificates contained the explicit notice that they were issued without a physical examination, because a physical examination was not necessary to establish the grounds for exemption. All certificates were moreover only provisional and stated that they had to be confirmed by a public health officer within six months. The certificates were in line with my medical conviction and the Declaration of Geneva.

All statements that the university classified as “unscientific” and held against me as grounds for dismissal were supported by publicly available epidemiological figures and studies. No breach of the university’s COVID regulations took place, nor could any be established in the labour-court proceedings.

— Dr. med. Andreas Sönnichsen

Current Status

  • Criminal case: acquitted at second instance, final and binding
  • Disciplinary proceedings: around ten in total – one concluded, one discontinued, four ongoing, four long pending
  • Two final and binding fines after the Supreme Administrative Court ordered a conviction – a complaint to the Constitutional Court is pending
  • Labour-court proceedings against the university ended by a settlement
Impact — Documentation

Professional impact

  • Loss of the professorship and employment at the Medical University of Vienna, including the income
  • In private internal-medicine and general practice in Salzburg since 2022

Financial impact

  • Legal costs of around 60,000 € so far
  • Savings used up
  • Negative impact on his old-age provision
  • Need to keep working despite having reached retirement age (which I would of course do anyway 😊)

Personal impact

  • Marital crisis followed by divorce
  • Persistent financial worries
  • Sleep disorders

Collegial reactions

  • Unimaginable defamation by former companions from shared scientific work
  • Unbelievable silence from the entire body of colleagues from the pre-Corona period

Press reactions

  • Several dismissive reports in various mainstream media
  • Interviews and contributions in alternative media and on his own channels

Outlook

Do not give up in these crazy times. I would not do anything differently. Freedom of therapy, patient autonomy, the rule of law and freedom must be restored. I am deeply disappointed by the majority of the medical profession – sometimes I am ashamed to be a doctor.

Chronological course

Chronology

April 2020:
First reprimands and public discrediting by the university – withdrawal of staff positions, blocking of his homepage and further bullying measures over time
January 2021:
Opening of the first disciplinary proceedings by the Medical Chamber; fine imposed by the Disciplinary Commission; complaint to the Vienna Regional Administrative Court; acquittal by that court; appeal on a point of law by the Medical Chamber to the Supreme Administrative Court; rejection of the appeal by the Supreme Administrative Court – final and binding acquittal
2021–2022:
Further disciplinary proceedings – one discontinued, the rest pending ever since
February 2022:
Criminal proceedings for fraud and abuse of office over COVID vaccination exemptions – acquittal at first instance, appeal by the public prosecutor’s office, renewed acquittal at second instance (final and binding)
February 2022:
Disciplinary proceedings of the Medical Chamber over COVID vaccination exemptions – fine imposed by the Disciplinary Commission; complaint to the Salzburg Regional Administrative Court; acquittal; appeal on a point of law by the Medical Chamber to the Supreme Administrative Court; the appeal is granted; renewed acquittal by the Salzburg Regional Administrative Court; second appeal on a point of law by the Medical Chamber; the Federal Ministry of Health joins in support of the appeal; the Supreme Administrative Court orders a conviction; final conviction by the Regional Administrative Court to a fine
May 2022:
Second disciplinary proceedings over COVID vaccination exemptions – stayed pending the conviction in the first case, now resumed, proceedings ongoing
January 2023:
Further disciplinary proceedings over exemptions from the measles-vaccination obligation in Germany; conviction by the Disciplinary Commission; acquittal by the Salzburg Regional Administrative Court; appeal on a point of law by the Medical Chamber to the Supreme Administrative Court; order to convict, analogous to the COVID case; a complaint to the Constitutional Court is pending
March 2024:
Renewed disciplinary proceedings over the measles vaccination exemptions – stayed pending the conviction in the first case, now resumed, proceedings ongoing
Note on responsibility

The information in this case report comes from the affected person themselves. The editorial team verifies whether a criminal or professional prosecution has taken place; it cannot verify the factual accuracy of every single statement. Responsibility for the correctness of the account lies with the respective author.

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Name
Dr. med. Andreas Sönnichsen
Specialty
Internal medicine and general medicine
Special Functions
Former Chair of the German Network for Evidence-based Medicine (until 2021), former board member of the Austrian Society of General Medicine (until 2021), former editor of the Journal of General Medicine (until 2021). Chairman of the Scientific Initiative Health for Austria. President of the Academy of Science for Biopsychosocial Health.
Position
Owner of an internal-medicine and general-practitioner private practice in Salzburg, without employees (since 2022). University professor at the Medical University of Vienna until 2022. Practising since 1986.
Location
Salzburg, Austria
Age
69 years
Practicing since
1986
Persecuted since
April 2020 (öffentliche Diskreditierung durch die Universität); erstes Disziplinarverfahren der Ärztekammer Januar 2021
Documented since
Jul 9, 2026
Status
Criminal case ended in a final acquittal; several disciplinary proceedings by the Medical Chamber still open, two fines, complaint to the Constitutional Court pending.
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