Air Force rape case: Officer suspended
Standing army officer suspected of involvement in rape of teenage girl by soldiers at southern base gets two-week suspension until decision reached on whether to indict him; Military Police say code of silence may have been kept in base following rape
A standing army officer suspected of involvement in the rape of a teenage girl at an Air Force base in the south has received a two-week suspension from the base commander, Ynet learned on Friday.
IAF sources said it is estimated the officer will not return to the base until the Military Advocate General’s Office decides on whether indict him or not; if he will in fact be put on trial, the base commander will be authorized to suspend him until the conclusion of the legal proceedings.
A source familiar with the case said several soldiers suspected of taking part in the rape have already bee interrogated, adding that soldiers and officers suspected of failing to report the rape have also been questioned.
Morality seminar
The Military Advocate General's Office ordered Military Police to carry out a thorough investigation into the affair. Police officials are certain that the code of silence was kept in the base and are therefore interrogating all soldiers who came in contact with the rape victim.
A decision on whether to indict those soldiers who have already been interrogated has not been reached as of yet.
A few days ago IAF Chief Major-General Eliezer Shakedi held a seminar for all high-ranking Air Force officers on morality, values and norms. During the seminar discussions were held on the rape and how to deal with similar cases at army bases.
