STATEMENT: Protect Our Defenders Calls Letter of Reprimand for Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention Officer “A Slap on the Wrist”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2014 Contact: Brian Purchia, brian@protectourdefenders.com
*** STATEMENT ***
PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS CALLS LETTER OF REPRIMAND FOR AIR FORCE SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION OFFICER “A SLAP ON THE WRIST”
Washington DC – Today, the United States Air Force decided to punish Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, a former sexual assault prevention officer accused of groping a woman last year by issuing him a letter of reprimand, rather than pursuing a court-martial.
Protect Our Defenders President, Nancy Parrish, released the following statement:
“When Krusinski was assigned to lead the Air Force’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO), he was entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the military environment was safe from the very behavior he engaged in. Far from meeting that obligation, he behaved in a disgusting and morally reprehensible manner, and violated the trust of the Air Force and the American public.
“Krusinski’s ‘punishment’ – a slap on the wrist – is less than many victims get in retaliation for simply reporting such a crime, and it is vastly inadequate in comparison to the gravity of his actions. A letter of reprimand will do nothing to combat the victim blaming, often misogynistic culture within the military, and demonstrates a level of tolerance and acceptance for those who see sexual assault prevention as merely a joke. Our military claims to hold itself up to a higher standard. It is time they did. The American public is fed up with the continued drumbeat of outrageous scandals in the military, and the military’s lack luster response to them.”
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Stars and Stripes: Air Force to reprimand Krusinski rather than pursue court-martial
STATEMENT: Protect Our Defenders Responds to Sexual Battery Arrest of Air Force’s Chief Sexual Assault Prevention Officer
Wired: Air Force Chief of Sexual-Assault Prevention Arrested on Sexual Battery Charges
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2013/05/air-force-sexual-assault/
USA Today: Military sex assault monitor accused of sex assault
Huffington Post: Jeffrey Krusinski, Air Force Officer In Charge Of Sexual Assault Prevention Program, Arrested For Alleged Sexual Assault
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/jeffrey-krusinski-arrested_n_3225155.html
About Protect Our Defenders: Protect Our Defenders is a human rights organization. We seek to honor, support and give voice to the brave women and men in uniform who have been sexually assaulted while serving their country, and re-victimized by the military adjudication system – a system that often blames the victim and fails to prosecute the perpetrator. Learn more about Protect Our Defenders at www.protectourdefenders.com or on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ProtectOurDefenders or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ProtectRDfnders.
Protect Our Defenders partners with Attorney Susan Burke, Burke PLLC to advance lawsuits filed against the DoD and service academies for repeatedly ignoring rape, sexual assault and harassment, failing to prosecute perpetrators and retaliating against the victim.
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