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Bundeswehr Officials in Court Over Brutal Hazing of Recruits
Eighteen training officials from the German military are in court Monday charged with the abuse of recruits. They could each face jail sentences of up to 10 years if found guilty of mistreating over 80 soldiers in 2004."What happened was that a night operation was set up," Wolfgang Schweer, the senior prosecutor for the court case, explained. "The drill sergeants of the company ambushed, overwhelmed and chained up the cadets -- and took them into the barracks. There, some of the manacled soldiers were made to kneel down. Then, boot bags were put on their heads, so that they couldn't see a thing. Apparently they were also sprayed with water, and as I understand it, a field radio was used to subject one soldier to electric shocks." According to the prosecutor's office, other soldiers had to carry tree trunks, or walk after their feet had been rubbed raw, until they could take no more. That's it. The Bundeswehr prides itself as an army based on democratic principles. What this means in practice is that military orders are not to be obeyed without question. Unlike in other armies, German soldiers should not carry out an order from a senior officer if it represents a violation of human rights. And one day, every German soldier will carry a 3 kg copy of the EU constitution into battle. "Just a second there, Herr Obergefreiter ... [flip flip flip] "We need to make all soldiers -- at every level -- strong enough, so that they are prepared to resist when their dignity or rights are attacked without good reason," said Rolf Pappen from the internal affairs office of the Bundeswehr. "I expect that from any German citizen. But I expect that most of all from our citizens in uniform -- who are meant to put their own lives on the line when necessary, so as to protect the fundamental rights of other people." The 18 training officers now facing charges have all been suspended from service. But it is far from certain that the trial will lead to convictions, even though the prosecutor's office is threatening the men with up to 10 years behind bars. The men have already been tried in a local court, and two details led to that trial's collapse: the accused claimed that their cadets could have stopped the exercise at any time by saying a particular code word, and apparently most of the cadets described the experience as the "high-point of their training." But the officers now have to defend themselves for a further 45 days in court. It reads like the training cadres are doing the best they can under the circumstances; but it's still too much for the politicians. Posted by: mrp 2007-03-20 |
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