German police, illustration - SIPA

German justice is investigating some 30,000 people suspected of being involved in a large pedophilia case in the west of the country, local authorities announced on Monday. "We want to get out of the anonymity of the internet, the perpetrators who abuse children and those who support them," Peter Biesenbach, Minister of Justice for the region of North Rhine-Westphalia, told a press conference. Westphalia where the scandal broke out.

So far, around 70 people have been suspected in the case, which began last fall in the town of Bergisch Gladbach. Several of them are currently on trial.

A man already arrested, key to other avenues

They are suspected of having abused and abused children for years and of sharing their crimes filmed on online discussion groups. Investigators have for their part identified so far at least 40 victims. The German investigators were alerted by Canadian police officers who discovered child pornography content from this region of western Germany.

A 42-year-old man, whose trial is scheduled to start in August, has already been arrested. Investigators found immense quantities of child pornography in his apartment. In the process, they also uncovered the existence of various discussion groups with several thousand participants.

A country shaken by multiple affairs

It is now these recipients of "cats" who find themselves in the crosshairs of German justice. After several cases of pedophilia in recent years that have shocked the country, the authorities are now more intransigent.

"The authors who communicate in the forums consider child abuse to be" normal "and find a large number of like-minded people. The inhibition thresholds drop. And that is what characterizes this criminal situation, ”warned Peter Biesenbach.

“If we are to actively combat child abuse on the Internet, we must also talk about the legal regulations on data storage. One cannot work without the other, ”he added.

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