A recruit tells Swedish Television that he was slapped in the face by a superior. Those who failed to take 100 kilos in bench press were told that they were gay, he says.
– The violations happened all the time, he says. At the same time, he emphasizes that he is aware that it should be exhausting and demanding to be a recruit. He was prepared for little sleep and little food.
He is one of many who over time have reacted to the treatment of the recruits.
Received alerts for several years
Acting garrison commander Per Nilsson says they have tried to work with these cases for several years, but admits that it has probably not been enough.
According to an internal report, it went into a vulgar jargon, and punishment was done collectively. The young people were forced to take part in activities despite injuries and illness, he writes Today’s News.
The young people must have been treated badly by both officers and other conscripts.
– The recruits were ridiculed and told that they whined and complained when they took up this case, says Olof Wärmlander. He is a spokesman for the Conscription Council, which safeguards the rights of conscripts.
He says both he and the Armed Forces agree that there is no contradiction between good training and discipline.
– But this treatment we hear about here does not make conscripts better soldiers. And it damages society’s trust in the Armed Forces, he says Swedens radio.
Sends officers on course
The Swedish Armed Forces has now sent 500 recruits home for an early Christmas holiday from a regiment in Enköping. Back is the commander who will now work on this case for three days.
– We see that there are a few individuals who behave in this way. There has also been a culture of silence where one has seen such behavior without reacting, the regiment’s communications chief. Therese Timpson.
The commander of the regiment, Johan Axelsson, admits that the recruits have encountered what he calls a “destructive leadership”. He says they have been exposed to too high a burden in relation to their level of education.
Johan Axelsson says that a culture of silence has protected unwanted behavior in the regiment.
Photo: SVT
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– To address this immediately, we chose to send the recruits home, he says.
The news agency Ritzau writes that the commander will during a week go through a crash course that will make them better equipped to handle the problems. The leadership of the regiment will also develop a plan for how the training of recruits can be carried out in a better way.
In 2017, Sweden reintroduced conscription after it had been a dormant provision for some years.
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