I smuggled refugee over border, Left Party MP admits
A German MP has admitted that he smuggled a young man from a war-torn African country into Germany. One police union said he should be charged.
Left party politician and member of the German parliament (Bundestag) Diether Dehm confirmed on Sunday to DPA news agency that he had smuggled a young African refugee from Italy to Germany at the end of last month.
He would not say more because he did not want to endanger the young man.
According to Bild, the young man had come from a country with an ongoing civil war and travelled to Italy after the death of his mother.
Dehm said that he took the young man into his vacation home in Lake Maggiore for a few days before driving him through Switzerland to Germany and taking him to refugee helpers. The young man was reportedly then brought to his father in Germany and has not been registered with border authorities.
Dehm and others have posted pictures on his Facebook of what appears to be a young man laying inside of the boot of a car.
Despite the fact that helping someone to travel illegally into the country is itself illegal, Dehm told Bild that he felt good about his actions.
“I am at peace with myself,” he said.
Bild reported that police union DPolG has called for Dehm to be brought to court on charges of people smuggling.
“The case shows an alarming instance of how an elected parliamentarian can spurn the legal system,” DPolG leader Rainer Wendt told Bild.
“These actions would probably fulfill the offence of smuggling and must accordingly be punished with up to ten years in prison. Refugees are not helped by such actions.”
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Left party politician and member of the German parliament (Bundestag) Diether Dehm confirmed on Sunday to DPA news agency that he had smuggled a young African refugee from Italy to Germany at the end of last month.
He would not say more because he did not want to endanger the young man.
According to Bild, the young man had come from a country with an ongoing civil war and travelled to Italy after the death of his mother.
Dehm said that he took the young man into his vacation home in Lake Maggiore for a few days before driving him through Switzerland to Germany and taking him to refugee helpers. The young man was reportedly then brought to his father in Germany and has not been registered with border authorities.
Dehm and others have posted pictures on his Facebook of what appears to be a young man laying inside of the boot of a car.
Despite the fact that helping someone to travel illegally into the country is itself illegal, Dehm told Bild that he felt good about his actions.
“I am at peace with myself,” he said.
Bild reported that police union DPolG has called for Dehm to be brought to court on charges of people smuggling.
“The case shows an alarming instance of how an elected parliamentarian can spurn the legal system,” DPolG leader Rainer Wendt told Bild.
“These actions would probably fulfill the offence of smuggling and must accordingly be punished with up to ten years in prison. Refugees are not helped by such actions.”
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