German general accused of trying to kiss a male soldier at the Invictus Games

Major General Markus Kurczyk Photo: dpa Picture Alliance/Alamy Stock Photo

German general in charge of morale and ethics suspended from duty after he was accused of forcibly trying to kiss a male soldier at the Invictus Games.

Major General Markus Kurczyk was temporarily relieved of his duties over the weekend pending an investigation into a sexual harassment claim, a German newspaper reported Der Spiegel. .

Before his removal, the Air Force officer was the commander of the “internal leadership” center of the German armed forces in the city of Koblenz. The center trains officers and business executives in modern leadership culture and good military conduct.

The incident is believed to have happened earlier this month in Dusseldorf at the Invictus Games, a sports tournament for wounded soldiers of which Prince Harry is a patron.

The alleged victim, who has not been named, filed a complaint with the German Ministry of Defense on Friday, saying that Major General Kurczyk tried to kiss him on the lips without his consent.

A 58-year-old man with 40 years of experience under his belt. service, including three deployments to Afghanistan, did not respond to the charges brought against him.

«Serious assault on dignity»

The training center's chief of staff, Col. Thomas Berger, has taken over control of the center, officials said Saturday.

‌The German army recently issued new guidance on combating sexual harassment, calling it «a serious attack on dignity and physical integrity victim.»

The «internal leadership» center was to provide training on the rules, local media reported.

The allegation is the second case of alleged sexual harassment by a Bundeswehr general to come to light in recent weeks after one-star General Frank Reiland was accused of making lewd comments towards a trainee.

He was later promoted despite the complaint, but apologized after the allegations were made public.

‌In 2022 Last year, Bundestag Commissioner for the Armed Forces Eva Högl received about 360 reports of alleged sex crimes.

‌She said there were many more unreported cases. because of the imbalance of power in the army, and added that some historical investigations have reached a dead end or come to nothing.