German defense minister comments on sexual misconduct scandal in the army
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Wednesday described the scandals at the paratrooper unit of the German armed forces as shocking, stressing that they represent a blatant violation of the values of the German military.
The reported cases include cases of right-wing extremism, inappropriate sexual behavior and drug use.
The Ministry of Defense announced that investigations into the 26th Paratrooper Regiment in the Zweibrücken region of Rhineland-Palatinate State resulted in the dismissal of a number of soldiers, while the Public Prosecution continued to investigate 19 soldiers.
Pistorius expressed his displeasure with the local leadership’s handling of these reports at first, despite the fact that investigations were later launched and initial sanctions were imposed, stressing that ignoring violations or not dealing with them with the required firmness is unacceptable.
Pistorius explained that the Inspector General of Ground Forces, General Lieutenant Christian Freuding, has launched urgent measures to prevent the recurrence of such behavior, explaining that these measures will be combined into an action plan for airborne forces to ensure their implementation.
Pistorius set three main goals: to fully uncover all the facts, to punish any further wrongdoing with the utmost severity, and to restore confidence in the local military leadership.
The German minister stressed that extremism, inappropriate sexual behavior and drug abuse have no place in the German military, stressing the need to provide a safe environment to report violations without fear or false solidarity with violators.
According to the national daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, thr investigations had been underway for months at the 26th Paratroop Regiment in Zweibrücken, focusing on right-wing extremism, sexual misconduct, violent rituals and drugs.
Dozens of members of the regiment have been charged with sexual assault and harassment of women, with at least 30 charged with political extremism and anti-Semitism in more than 200 incidents.
The newspaper reported that the Hitler salute was performed; According to the report, a woman was subjected to parades and forced to listen to pornographic jokes and rape fantasies.
The German minister said it must be clear that extremism, sexual misconduct and drug use have no place in the armed forces.
“It’s equally important that there is no fear of reporting incidents – or even a misguided sense of solidarity with those who cross all lines”.
Pistorius stressed the need to ensure a safe space at all times, as those affected feel safe when reporting incidents of this kind.
