Defence ministry says soldiers who burnt dog and filmed it ‘beyond condemnation’
DOZENS of phone calls and letters yesterday poured in from distraught animal lovers demanding the National Guard soldiers responsible for the horrific torture of a dog, aired on Sigma television, be brought to justice.
The Defence Ministry said the soldiers’ act was beyond condemnation and their identity would be uncovered, while animal welfare associations discussed what measures to take to ensure the guilty parties are punished.
On Friday night, the private channel showed an adult dog, that had been set on fire by a group of soldiers, howling in agony as it raced up and down in pain until it finally collapsed and died. The youths laughed and one sang while the animal burned.
The reporter who covered the story told the Sunday Mail he had received a video clip depicting the dog’s ordeal on his mobile phone and was so repelled he had to make it public knowledge.
According to him, the soldiers had been forwarding the video clip around, which is how it had eventually ended up on his phone. However, he had been unable to trace back to where it had originated from.
A Sigma representative said the news bulletin had been responsible for launching an investigation into the matter and hoped it would raise public awareness and sensitivity to such matters so as to “avert any similar repeat future acts”. The news station had no intention of letting the matter drop and would follow up the story, he added.
Defence Ministry spokesman Yiannis Patsalides said National Guard officers had been instructed to investigate the matter and to determine which army camp the video clip had been filmed at and the names of the soldiers responsible.
Early yesterday Patsalides said: “Before the day is out we should know which army camp is involved and the names of the soldiers. We will not be able to tell you anything more than that, only to confirm they have been found.” However, later he had no comment.
The video clip – which was aired on television with much lowered sound because the dog’s agonising howls were deemed too disturbing to transmit at its normal level – is said to reveal some physical aspects of the army camp which will make it possible to identify.
None of the soldiers’ faces are on the video clip but two or three different voices can be heard. One solider sang: “No one is thinking of me… I’m all alone… I’m taking my last breath at this army camp…” Only one voice can be heard telling the troops to “stop, it’s a shame” but the rest just laugh at him. They continue laughing and joking until the dog finally collapses in a heap, dead.
Patsalides said the video clip was about one year old and the soldiers could very well have been discharged from their military service. If that was the case their names would be handed over to police otherwise they would be dealt with by the National Guard. Punishments could include imprisonment or a court marshal, he said.
“At this point we cannot say more only that they will be severely punished. This act is not condemnable, it is beyond condemnable. It was very shocking,” he said.
He added: “The army is not responsible for making monsters (out of these men). Parents and society should examine the matter. It is now a social phenomenon.”
But Paphiakos Animal Welfare chairman Christine Panayides said claims that animal abuses took place many months or years ago was how “they get away with it” and why no one had ever been found criminally negligent.
She said a lengthy meeting of various animal welfare organisations held in Limassol yesterday had decided that if the youths were not prosecuted then the organisations would see that they were.
“It is time the laws we have protecting animals were exercised. There are also EU laws which we can use,” she said.
Panayides said animal cruelty was no stranger to the island “but nothing like this”.
“Not soldiers setting a dog alight and then sending the images around… Of course we condemn this act, any normal thinking person would. It’s disgusting,” she said.
In the mean time animal welfare organisations have decided it is time to organise and educate government bodies regarding animal welfare, she said. This would include inviting municipality workers and government veterinarians to attend conferences to teach them how to rescue, look after, and even euthanise strays properly and humanely, she said.
