German defence ministry summons professor over torture remarks

BERLIN (AFP) May 12, 2004
Germany's defence ministry said Wednesday it would summon a teacher at a Munich military academy who said that torture was a "legitimate" tool to fight terrorism, and was considering taking action.

"The minister and the defence ministry completely disagree with the remarks," the spokesman said at a routine government press conference.

In an interview with German television on Tuesday, history professor Michael Wolffsohn appeared to justify the torture of Iraqi prisoners by US guards.

"The use of torture or threats of torture is legitimate as a means to fight against terrorism," Wolffsohn said.

Pictures of US personnel humiliating Iraqi prisoners in the notorious Abu Ghraib prison have appeared widely in the German media, as elsewhere around the world, in recent days.

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