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German officers accused of torturing conscripts
The German army has suspended 18 training personnel who are alleged to have dressed as Arabs and tortured conscripts during a series of mock hostage-takings. The conscripts were ambushed during a night march, bound, hooded and bundled into a truck. They were made to kneel against the wall of a barracks basement to be beaten, drenched with cold water and electro-shocked, according to a news magazine report. | The electric shock is a bit much, but otherwise sounds like a standard escape & evasion training exercise. |
A civilian prosecutor said that 70 to 80 conscripts had been involved, but none appeared to have suffered permanent physical harm. The army said the exercise, allegedly to toughen the men in case they were taken hostage, was not authorised. Army personnel at the base, in Coesfeld, near the northern city of Muenster, have reportedly been warned to keep names of the accused secret. They may be charged with abuse of subordinates. A report in Monday's German news magazine Der Spiegel said there had been four separate mock hostage takings at the Coesfeld base between June and September this year. In Koblenz, the army command confirmed the suspension of a captain and 17 non-commissioned officers. A spokesman told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa the group was banned from wearing German army uniforms. The suspects also face an internal disciplinary inquiry. He said the lapse had been made public in a little-noticed announcement on 11 November. According to Spiegel, recruits were only warned about something unpleasant that would toughen them up, and told they could escape at any time by shouting a password, but would then be branded as cowards. The spokesman declined to confirm any of the details. The victims were part of a repair battalion, not an elite fighting unit. | Ok, may have been over the top then. These drills are SOP for Special Ops types and pilots in case they are captured. |
The magazine said the trainers may have been inspired by reports of US torture in Abu Ghraib, Iraq. | More likely they may have seen or read about this type of training in other forces and decided to try it on their own. |
Spiegel said one victim had been photographed with his pants off. Investigators were checking reports that the incidents were video-taped. | You videotape these classes to review later to refine your training. |
It was not clear why the trainers adopted Arab head-dress.
Posted by: Steve 2004-11-22 |
