Jorge Rafael Videla: Death of a Dirty War criminal | The Economist
JORGE RAFAEL VIDELA, an Argentine former military dictator who ordered the torture, murder and disappearance of thousands of civilians during the country s seven-year military rule, died on May 17th in his prison cell on the edge of Buenos Aires, where he was serving a life sentence for crimes against humanity.
Dubbed the “Pink Panther” for his lanky frame and stealthy gait, Videla seized power in 1976 when left-wing militants, runaway inflation and corruption had begun to rattle Isabel Per n s civilian government. He said that military rule was necessary to protect national security and human rights. In power, however, he had a selective vision of who was entitled to such rights.
Not suspected leftists, certainly; nor anyone who did not ascribe to his totalitarian ideology. He viewed his mission as sacred, and those who disagreed with it as sinful enemies, says Federico Finchelstein, an Argentine historian at the New School university.
In what Videla called a process of national reorganisation , Argentines deemed threatening were kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured and killed. Suspects were snatched from their families, subjected to electric shocks, starved, beaten, raped, and held underwater for minutes at a time.
Others were pushed out of military aircraft into the River Plate or the Atlantic to drown. Abducted mothers were separated from their babies, who were sometimes adopted by the military officers responsible for their capture.
Videla cast his net wide, persecuting academics, journalists, students and social workers as well as leftist guerrillas. The opaqueness of the junta s reasoning made popular the phrase por algo ser , or it must have been for something , among Argentines trying to justify their own inaction.
Videla never admitted to sponsoring assassinations, referring only to disappearances .
In 1979, in response to a journalist s inquiry about the locations of the disappeared, he snapped: The disappeared are just that: disappeared. They are neither alive nor dead. They are disappeared.
The illusive nature of the victims meant that the military controlled their prisoners fate even in death, Mr Finchelstein says.
Videla retired in 1981. The following year his successors dragged Argentina into war with Britain over the Falkland Islands, a conflict that Argentina would lose in humiliating fashion. Defeat spelled the end of military rule.
In 1983, democracy was restored with the election of Ra l Alfons n and the country began to assess the extent of the destruction Videla had wrought. Official documentation put the number of dead at 9,000. Human-rights groups calculated that as many as 30,000 people had died in Videla s purges.
Repairing the psychological damage inflicted by the Dirty War has been even more difficult than obtaining credible estimates of its toll.
Mr Alfons n set up a tribunal that, in 1985, sentenced Videla and several of his henchmen to life sentences. Videla s sentence was annulled five years later by Carlos Menem, who believed that pardoning the junta and the leftist guerrilla commanders accused of terrorism would begin to rebuild the country in peace, in liberty and in justice . In 2006 a judge ruled the pardon unconstitutional.
Following a 2010 trial Videla, by then 84 years old, was again sentenced to life in prison.
For many Argentines, Videla s conviction and death have not brought closure. Although during his 2010 trial he assumed full military responsibility for the actions of the army in the war against terrorism , he was unrepentant about his crimes and died without revealing much about his shadowy rule. The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, a group of mothers and grandmothers with disappeared children, said of Videla s passing: We feel the weight of the fact that he didn t speak about or divulge the locations of the 30,000 people and 400 grandchildren that we look for even today.
As the search for the missing continues, Argentina is trying to move on from its dark, dirty past.
Adolfo P rez Esquivel, a human-rights activist who won a Nobel Prize for his organising efforts during Videla s dictatorship, wrote on his website: We don t forget, nor do we pardon.
But in contrast to him, we celebrate life, not death.
Mexico’s cosseted elite: Named and shamed
Corruption in Peru: A widening web
References
Army commander suspended over sexual misconduct charges … – RT
The Army s top general at Fort Jackson has been suspended over allegations of assault and adultery . The news strikes another blow against the US military, which has come under immense scrutiny for its frequent sex scandals involving senior officers.
Brig . Gen .
Bryan Roberts is facing accusations of adultery and engaging in a physical altercation with a woman that is not his wife . The 29-year veteran was the top general at Fort Jackson, S.C., where he took command in April 2012 . He previously served as head of a unit training Iraqi soldiers .
Roberts has been suspended pending an investigation into the allegations against him. The Army made the announcement of Roberts suspension on Tuesday, but did not provide further details regarding the assault and adultery allegations. It was not clear whom Brig .
Gen Bryan Roberts struck, USA TODAY reported, indicating that the general may have physically harmed the woman with whom he had an altercation . NBC News reports that the altercation involved Roberts and the woman he allegedly cheated on his wife with, and that the two were involved in a violent argument . After making up, Roberts allegedly bit the woman s lip, which caused her to seek medical help, a US military official told the news agency.
Brig . Gen . Peggy Combs, Commandant of the US Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, will take over as interim commander while the investigation is ongoing.
The U.S . Army s Command and Staff page on Tuesday showed a vacant spot under the position of Commanding General . The suspension is the latest sex scandal involving a senior military officer .
In recent months, the Pentagon has come under enormous pressure to address the number of military sexual assault allegations. Earlier this month, Air Force Lt . Col .
Jeffrey Krusinski, was arrested for drunkenly groping a woman . Krusinski was in charge of sexual abuse prevention, which made the case more disgraceful than most. Sgt .
1 st Class Gregory McQueen, the US military soldier responsible for overseeing sexual assault prevention at Ford Hood is also under investigation1 for sexual assault . The man is facing allegations including the maltreatment of subordinates and running a prostitution ring. Meanwhile, Lt .
Col . Darin Haas, the manager of Fort Campbell s sexual harassment prevention office, was fired from his post and arrested on charges of violating an order of protection, and stalking his ex-wife. Although the details of Roberts allegations remain unclear and it is not known whether the assault was a sexual assault, his misconduct serves as further embarrassment to the Pentagon during a month filled with news of sex scandals and shocking statistics.
Pentagon officials recently announced that sexual assault incidents have increased by 35 percent from 2010 to 2012, bringing the annual total to 26,000 last year .
The Department of Veteran Affairs also found that 85,000 US veterans received2 medical treatment for sex abuse trauma last year, which indicates that the effects of assault have far-reaching consequences, both financially and emotionally.
References
- ^ investigation (rt.com)
- ^ received (rt.com)
Army sex-abuse officer dismissed over domestic dispute
By Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube and Jeff Black, NBC News The head of the Army s equal opportunity and sexual assault-prevention office at Fort Campbell, Ky., has been relieved of his duties, the Pentagon said. He is the third sex-abuse prevention officer to be dismissed in the past to 10 days.
However, the Fort Campbell Army officer, whose name was not released, was dismissed over a domestic dispute with his wife, not a sexual-assault case, the Pentagon said. The Army lieutenant colonel was arrested by civilian authorities for violating a protective order that was sought by his estranged wife, according to the Pentagon . The couple are in the process of getting a divorce .
The officer was released today on a $15,000 bond.
He holds a protective order against his wife, as well. Two other cases involving sex-assault prevention officers do involve sex-abuse-related charges. On Tuesday, the Pentagon said an Army sergeant first class, assigned to III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, is under investigation for allegedly forcing at least one subordinate into prostitution, abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment of subordinates .
He has been suspended from his duties pending an investigation. Sen . Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is joined by colleagues on Capitol Hill while introducing sexual assault legislation that would reform the military justice system.
On May 6, the Air Force officer in charge of that service’s sexual-assault program, Lt . Col . Jeff Krusinski, was arrested in an Arlington, Va .
parking lot1 for allegedly groping a woman. Krusinksi was charged with sexual battery and removed from his position pending an investigation. Sen .
Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a member of the Armed Services Committee, is spearheading a bill to prevent military commanders from handling sexual assault cases that involve subordinates. Related: Gillibrand leads Senate charge for protocol changes in military sexual assault cases2
Army sergeant assigned to sex-abuse prevention being investigated for pimping, sexual assault3 Air Force’s sex-abuse prevention honcho charged with sexual battery4 Obama: ‘No tolerance’ for military sexual assault5
‘Every American should be outraged’: Military sees sharp increase in sex-assault cases6
References
- ^ was arrested in an Arlington, Va .
parking lot
(usnews.nbcnews.com) - ^ Gillibrand leads Senate charge for protocol changes in military sexual assault cases (firstread.nbcnews.com)
- ^ Army sergeant assigned to sex-abuse prevention being investigated for pimping, sexual assault (usnews.nbcnews.com)
- ^ Air Force’s sex-abuse prevention honcho charged with sexual battery (usnews.nbcnews.com)
- ^ Obama: ‘No tolerance’ for military sexual assault (nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com)
- ^ ‘Every American should be outraged’: Military sees sharp increase in sex-assault cases (usnews.nbcnews.com)
Army sex-abuse 'preventer' accused
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Prostitution-related activity may have been involved, an official says
- Number of service members anonymously reporting sexual assault is up by more than 30%
- “No meaningful distinction between complacency or complicity,” says Rep . McKeon
- Soldier was assigned to a sexual harassment and assault response program
(CNN) — For the second time this month, a U.S . service member who worked in a military sexual assault prevention program has been accused of a sexual crime.
In the latest incident, an Army sergeant first class assigned to such a program at Fort Hood, Texas, is being investigated for alleged sexual assault, pandering, abusive sexual contact and maltreatment of subordinates .
Charges had not been filed as of Wednesday morning.
A Defense Department official says “initial indications” show that are at least one person may have been forced into prostitution activity, but the matter remains under investigation no conclusions have been drawn yet.
The sergeant has not been named . In a statement that does not use pronouns that would identify the gender of the service member, the Defense Department said that the person has been suspended from all duties.
The allegations come as the military is under intense scrutiny for sexual assaults within its ranks . The number of service members anonymously reporting a sexual assault grew by more than 30% in the past two years, according to a Pentagon report released last week.
More than 26,000 troops experienced “unwanted sexual contact,” a significant jump from 19,300 troops, a figure reported in a 2010 report on the topic.
The news of the Fort Hood case comes as the military prepares for a historic move: opening combat roles to women for the first time .
It’s unclear how that might affect the apparently increasing problem of sexual assault.
The department’s own research indicates that both genders are victimized . Consider that 10,700 of the 19,300 troops were men, according to the 2010 report.
On Wednesday, the investigation into the Fort Hood case continued as special agents from the U.S . Army Criminal Investigation Command were in charge.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was told about the case Tuesday and met with Army Secretary John McHugh.
“I cannot convey strongly enough his frustration, anger and disappointment over these troubling allegations and the breakdown in discipline and standards they imply,” Defense Department spokesman George Little said of Hagel.
Hagel has ordered that all service members working in sexual assault prevention units be retrained and screened again .
If they pass, they will get new credentials.
That should also apply to personnel and military recruiters.
An Air Force officer who was arrested the first weekend in May1 on allegations that he attacked a woman and groped her buttocks and breasts in an Arlington, Virginia, parking lot was a personnel officer by training, said Gen . Mark Welsh, the Air Force chief of staff.
After top Air Force officer charged in sex assault, military faces questions2
In February, Lt . Col .
Jeffrey Krusinski was placed in charge of a branch of the Air Force’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program, and he oversaw a five-person office, an Air Force official told CNN after the incident . The official declined to be named, citing the ongoing law enforcement case.
Shortly after Krusinski’s arrest, military officials appeared before a congressional panel for an already scheduled hearing on sexual assault in the military . Welsh described Krusinski when he was asked what made him qualified to work in the sex assault prevention program.
Krusinski, 41, is a 1994 graduate of the Air Force Academy who served tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan .
He made an initial court appearance last week . He did not enter a plea.
During the hearing, lawmakers brought up yet another case that has made headlines involving sexual assault . Lt .
Col . James Wilkerson III was found guilty last year by a jury of Air Force officers of sexually assaulting a woman at his home outside Aviano Air Base in Italy.
General defends decision in Aviano case3
He spent four months in a Navy brig before Lt . Gen .
Craig Franklin, the convening authority in the case, threw out the verdict.
Franklin was the officer who ordered Wilkerson’s court-martial at Ramstein Air Base in Germany . But military law allowed him to have the final say.
“After considering all matters in the entire record of trial, I hold a genuine and reasonable doubt that Lt . Col .
Wilkerson committed the crime of sexual assault,” Franklin said in a letter to the Air Force secretary released publicly this week.
Pentagon officials told CNN that it is rare for charges to be dismissed in this manner . The decision angered victims’ rights groups and some members of Congress.
“I am extremely disturbed,” said Sen . Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, who chaired a hearing last month on the issue. “I don’t know how you can say that having 19,000 sexual assaults and rapes a year is discipline and order.”
Military rape victims: Stop blaming us4
Reports of sexual assault appear to be weighing heavily on higher-ranking officers.
“This is so contrary to everything upon which the Army was built,” McHugh, the Army secretary, has said during testimony before the House Appropriations Committee defense subcommittee. “To see this kind of activity happening in our ranks is really heart-wrenching and sickening.”
He spoke generally about sex abuse crimes in the military.
Survey indicates troubling trend in military sexual assaults5
“As I said to our new Brigadier General Corps when I spoke to them about two weeks ago, ‘You can do everything from this point forward in your military career perfectly, but if you fail on this, you have failed the Army,’ ” McHugh reportedly said.
After assault case, Hagel seeks changes to military legal process6
There were 3,374 sexual crimes reported in the military in fiscal year 2012, a 6% increase over the previous year, according to the Defense Department report issued last week.
Military officials worry that many victims don’t come forward because they fear retaliation .
But the numbers might indicate that more victims are willing to report crimes than in the past.
On Monday, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon said he was outraged and disgusted by the Fort Hood allegations.
He called the case the “latest chapter in a long, sordid history of sexual abuse” in the military.
The military was rocked in the early 1990s by the Tailhook scandal .
A female Navy lieutenant said she had been sexually assaulted at a military convention by other service members.
Revisiting the military’s Tailhook scandal7
McKeon, a California Republican, has a granddaughter in the Army.
“I see no meaningful distinction between complacency or complicity in the military’s latest failure to uphold their own standards of conduct,” he said. “Nor do I see a distinction between the service member who orchestrated this offense and the chain of command that was either oblivious to or tolerant of criminal behavior.”
CNN’s Barbara Starr, Dana Ford, Larry Shaughnessy and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
References
- ^ arrested the first weekend in May (news.arlingtonva.us)
- ^ After top Air Force officer charged in sex assault, military faces questions (www.cnn.com)
- ^ General defends decision in Aviano case (security.blogs.cnn.com)
- ^ Military rape victims: Stop blaming us (www.cnn.com)
- ^ Survey indicates troubling trend in military sexual assaults (www.cnn.com)
- ^ After assault case, Hagel seeks changes to military legal process (www.cnn.com)
- ^ Revisiting the military’s Tailhook scandal (www.nytimes.com)
Daily Kos: Another of the military's sexual assault prevention officers …
You’re gonna need more than a new poster for this one.
Yeah, I think I see the problem here1:
A sergeant first class in charge of sexual assault prevention at Fort Hood is under investigation for sexual assault, the Pentagon announced Tuesday night.
The soldier, whose name has not been released, is being investigated for abusive sexual contact, pandering, assault and maltreatment of subordinates . The soldier has been relieved of his duties at the Texas post, and no charges have yet been filed, the Pentagon said . He oversaw the program at the battalion level, a unit of about 800 soldiers.
The soldier is being investigated for, among other things, forcing a subordinate into prostitution and sexually assaulting two others, according to a Capitol Hill staffer who was briefed on the case and spoke about it on condition of anonymity.
Two senior Pentagon officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is under investigation, also confirmed that the sergeant is being investigated for running a prostitution ring.
This would be different from the other “sexual assault prevention program” officer arrested for sexual assault2, and the need to actually clarify which “sexual assault prevention program” officer being arrested for sexual assault we’re talking about may suggest that even the military culture around “sexual assault prevention programs” may need a bit of damn work.
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has “directed all service branches to re-train, re-credential and re-screen” officers implementing the military’s sexual assault prevention and response programs .
Sen . Claire McCaskill, for one, isn’t impressed:
34
Sen . Claire McCaskill is among the female senators on the Armed Services Committee leading the push against sexual assault in the military, and the Missouri Democrat is now mobilizing her campaign supporters behind the effort.
Instead of focusing on prosecution, there has been an effort to train their way out of this problem with programs discussing unwanted sexual contact or encouraging a buddy system for women on bases, McCaskill wrote an in email to her campaign mailing list .
It s not going to work . This isn t a problem the military can train its way out of.
Can’t say she’s wrong about that one . Glad she won her election, or we’d instead have Republican poster boy Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin helping to decide what to do about sexual assaults in the military, and I imagine that wouldn’t have gone well .
Originally posted to Hunter6 on Wed May 15, 2013 at 10:34 AM PDT.
Also republished by Police Accountability Group7 and Daily Kos8.
(Load)9 (Load)10 (Load)11 (Load)12 (Load)13 (Load)14 (Load)15
References
- ^ I think I see the problem here (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ other “sexual assault prevention program” officer arrested for sexual assault (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ directed all service branches to re-train, re-credential and re-screen (www.usnews.com)
- ^ isn’t impressed (blogs.rollcall.com)
- ^ hunch. (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ Hunter (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ Police Accountability Group (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ Daily Kos (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ (Load) (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ (Load) (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ (Load) (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ (Load) (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ (Load) (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ (Load) (www.dailykos.com)
- ^ (Load) (www.dailykos.com)
Malawi sex workers get toll free line to curb Police abuse | Malawi …
By Nyasa Times Reporter
May 15, 2013 14 Comments
Faced with increasing incidents of commercial sex workers abuse at the hands of Police, human rights NGO has embarked on a fascinating project that will see the sex workers calling a toll free line for assistance.
Centre for Human Rights Education, Advice and Assistance (CHREAA) executive director Victor Mhango told Nyasa Times in an exclusive interview that the Australian Aid funded project arose from the many cases of abuse, both reported and unreported, by the law enforcers against commercial sex workers.
According to Mhango, CHREAA, in association with the Southern African Litigation Centre, recently conducted a research that shows that a vast majority of sex workers are regularly abused by the Police.
We noted that sex workers suffer in silence when it comes to Police abuse, Mhango told Nyasa Times.
Sex workers
We realised that Police officers deliberately create a cases against the sex workers with the intention of robbing them of the money they have made or even sexually abusing them, he noted.
The sex-workers said that they were repeatedly arrested and were only released after being raped by the policemen.
Prostitution is illegal in Malawi and the police often arrest women who frequent public places at night and detain them for loitering.
Mhango noted that there have been cases where Police officers order pubs to be closed with the intention of rounding up the sex workers and sexually abusing them.
We are not saying that Police officers should not sleep with the sex workers .
They can if both parties consent to the act .
And the officers should do as private citizens, they should not use their uniform to intimidate the sex workers, he said.
Mhango said if the sex workers are abused, they are at liberty to call the toll free number 8000333 where they can be assisted.
We will ensure that the law takes it course because sex workers deserve to be protected by the law just like any other Malawian as enshrined in the Consitution, he said.
According to the CHREAA boss, sex workers should realise that a complaint does not always have to start at a Police station.
A complainant has the right to take their grievances straight to the court where proceedings can commerce or, if they are abused by a Police officer, they can bring the issue to the highest ranking officer at the Police station, he said.
Mhango said CHREAA will also train officers to adhere to the rights of the abused as well as train the sex workers to be aware of complaint mechanisms.
A sex-worker who spoke to Nyasa Times asked the police to respect them regardless of how they earn their livelihood.
I t is not all about sex but it is work and an economic exercise,
There is a campaign by sex- workers rights for decriminalising sex work , saying it would go a long way towards removing the hurdles sex workers face when trying to get health services, especially for HIV.
References
- ^ Email This Post (www.nyasatimes.com)
Army anti-sex assault coordinator accused of sex crimes
A soldier at Fort Hood, Texas is being investigated for operating a prostitution ring . The soldier was the sergeant in charge of sexual assault prevention in a battalion of 800.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S . Army sergeant who worked as a sexual assault prevention coordinator at Fort Hood, Texas, has been accused of sex crimes, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, the second man in the military’s anti-sexual assault effort to be accused since last week.
News of the investigation sparked renewed anger and frustration over military’s inability to deal quickly with its sexual assault problem .
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed disappointment over the “breakdown in discipline” implied by the allegations, and lawmakers voiced outrage.
“This is sickening,” said Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat. “Twice now, in a matter of as many weeks, we’ve seen the very people charged with protecting victims of sexual assault being charged as perpetrators.”
Representative Buck McKeon, a Republican who heads the House Armed Services Committee, said he was “outraged and disgusted” by the reports and that the chain of command bore some responsibility regardless of whether it was “oblivious to or tolerant of criminal behavior.” The Army said a sergeant first class at Fort Hood, whose name was not released, was under investigation for allegations of pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment of subordinates. The sergeant, a member of the Army’s III Corps, had been assigned as a sexual assault response and prevention program coordinator with a battalion in the Corps, the Pentagon said .
The Army suspended the sergeant from all duties after the allegations surfaced, it said. No charges have been filed against the soldier at this time . The investigation of the allegations is being conducted by special agents from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command, the Pentagon said.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said Hagel was notified of the allegations on Tuesday morning by Army Secretary John McHugh . Hagel urged McHugh to ensure the allegations are investigated quickly and dealt with appropriately, he said. “I cannot convey strongly enough his frustration, anger, and disappointment over these troubling allegations and the breakdown in discipline and standards they imply,” Little said in a statement.
Little said the Army and the other military services were in the process of implementing Hagel’s directive to re-train, re-credential and re-screen all sexual assault prevention and response personnel and military recruiters. The investigation of the sergeant came just a week after the head of the Air Force’s anti-sexual assault unit was arrested on charges of sexual battery after allegedly groping a woman in a parking lot in a restaurant district not far from the Pentagon. Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, was suspended from his duties in the sexual assault response office, and his case is being handled by civilian authorities in Arlington, Virginia, who declined an offer from the military to prosecute the case.
Krusinski’s arrest came a day before the Pentagon released its annual report on sexual assault in the military, a study that estimated the number of sex crimes involving military personnel soared by 37 percent to 26,000 in 2012, from 19,000 in 2011. The crimes ranged from rape to abusive sexual contact. The military’s problem with sexual assault has prompted some lawmakers to call for the crime to be removed from the military chain of command so it can be handled by experts .
But senior military officers contend the crimes should be handled through the chain of command to ensure commanders are held accountable for discipline.
(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
Army anti-sexual assault coordinator accused of sex crimes
By David Alexander
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S . Army sergeant who worked as a sexual assault prevention coordinator at Fort Hood, Texas, has been accused of sex crimes, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, the second man in the military’s anti-sexual assault effort to be accused since last week.
News of the investigation sparked renewed anger and frustration over military’s inability to deal quickly with its sexual assault problem. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed disappointment over the “breakdown in discipline” implied by the allegations, and lawmakers voiced outrage.
“This is sickening,” said Senator Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat. “Twice now, in a matter of as many weeks, we’ve seen the very people charged with protecting victims of sexual assault being charged as perpetrators.”
Representative Buck McKeon, a Republican who heads the House Armed Services Committee, said he was “outraged and disgusted” by the reports and that the chain of command bore some responsibility regardless of whether it was “oblivious to or tolerant of criminal behavior.”
The Army said a sergeant first class at Fort Hood, whose name was not released, was under investigation for allegations of pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment of subordinates.
The sergeant, a member of the Army’s III Corps, had been assigned as a sexual assault response and prevention program coordinator with a battalion in the Corps, the Pentagon said . The Army suspended the sergeant from all duties after the allegations surfaced, it said.
No charges have been filed against the soldier at this time .
The investigation of the allegations is being conducted by special agents from the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command, the Pentagon said.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said Hagel was notified of the allegations on Tuesday morning by Army Secretary John McHugh .
Hagel urged McHugh to ensure the allegations are investigated quickly and dealt with appropriately, he said.
“I cannot convey strongly enough his frustration, anger, and disappointment over these troubling allegations and the breakdown in discipline and standards they imply,” Little said in a statement.
Little said the Army and the other military services were in the process of implementing Hagel’s directive to re-train, re-credential and re-screen all sexual assault prevention and response personnel and military recruiters.
The investigation of the sergeant came just a week after the head of the Air Force’s anti-sexual assault unit was arrested on charges of sexual battery after allegedly groping a woman in a parking lot in a restaurant district not far from the Pentagon.
Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, was suspended from his duties in the sexual assault response office, and his case is being handled by civilian authorities in Arlington, Virginia, who declined an offer from the military to prosecute the case.
Krusinski’s arrest came a day before the Pentagon released its annual report on sexual assault in the military, a study that estimated the number of sex crimes involving military personnel soared by 37 percent to 26,000 in 2012, from 19,000 in 2011.
The crimes ranged from rape to abusive sexual contact.
The military’s problem with sexual assault has prompted some lawmakers to call for the crime to be removed from the military chain of command so it can be handled by experts .
But senior military officers contend the crimes should be handled through the chain of command to ensure commanders are held accountable for discipline.
(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)