After serious allegations of torture were made against a course leader of the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt, the prosecutor’s office has now closed the investigation. Army spokesman Michael Bauer confirmed this on Monday. “The allegations have gone up in smoke,” Bauer said.
As the “Krone” reported in November, the officer was charged with torture, coercion and abuse of office during an exercise last February. This happened in the context of the so-called military officer training, it was clearly a kind of prisoner of war. However, the consent of the participants involved was not obtained – it was not so easy to withdraw from the exercise.
An anonymous account of the facts, which discredited the officer training course last November, said that inhumane scenes would have taken place during the exercise. One would have spoken of “fear, torture and mental abuse”.
Affected soldiers distance themselves from accusations
In a statement now published, 71 of the year’s 85 ensigns announced they would distance themselves from the allegations: “It was about one of the hardest scenarios that can happen to a soldier on a mission – being a prisoner of war .”
Now the public prosecutor’s office in Wiener Neustadt had also dropped the case against the officer, the spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office in Wiener Neustadt, Erich Habitzl, confirmed to the “Kurier”. In addition to abuse of office, coercion and torture, the head of the training was also investigated on suspicion of endangering physical safety. However, according to Bauer, the judiciary would not have recognized any criminally relevant behavior of the trainer.
The operations would have met NATO and EU standards
According to Habitzl, the processes during the exercise were in line with NATO and EU standards from the valid service order for SERE training (Survive, Evade, Resist, Extract Note). The purpose of this is to check suitability as a professional soldier with officer rank and to prepare for extreme situations during deployment.
The students are therefore not prisoners within the meaning of the Penal Code, Habitzl explains. Any alleged coercion is justified with respect to the specific training guidelines and training goals here. “Role-playing as part of training as a result of the service order excludes criminal liability in the sense of deprivation of liberty and degrading treatment under the Military Penal Code,” says Habitzl.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
