Information about the criminal offence committed by a former employee of the University of Freiburg

On Wednesday 15 April 2026, the Frauenhorizonte Freiburg centre will provide a safe space for FLINTA* staff and students where they can share their experiences, be listened to and offer one another support.

• When: 15 April 2026, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. 
• Where: Lecture hall 1019 in Collegiate Building, Platz der Universität 3

Up to 20 people can take part in the discussion session. No registration is required.

Further support groups after the start of the semester will be announced shortly.

Sexual harassment in the workplace is a recurring issue; it can affect employees, as well as students and teaching staff. It can have serious consequences for those affected and can also damage organisations. Employees often have little knowledge of their rights and the specific steps they can take in urgent situations at work.  The workshop aims to provide university staff with information on “sexual harassment in the workplace” and to give an overview of the following topics:

• What is sexual harassment in the workplace?
• Legal framework
• Flirting or harassment – where do you draw the line?
• Mechanisms and forms of sexual harassment
• Statistics
• Consequences of sexual harassment
• Our personal guide: Boundaries – Intuition – Language
• What should I do if I am a victim of or witness to sexual harassment in the workplace?
• Measures for protection and prevention in the workplace
• Employer obligations under Section 12 of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG)
• Points of contact for sexual harassment

Information, prevention and empowerment are the main objectives of the workshop. Following the training, participants will have a deeper understanding of the legal principles and mechanisms underlying sexual harassment and will be aware of the options available to them. Methodologically, participants are introduced to the topic through short presentations, case studies and group work, and are encouraged to engage in active participation. Confidentiality is a given, as is the voluntary nature of participation in individual activities.

Dates for staff

• 15 April 2026, 9.00 am–12.00 pm, Peterhofkeller, Niemensstraße 10, Room 4, Ground Floor. Please register by 13 April 2026 at protect@zv.uni-freiburg.de (accessibility information)
• 4 May, 5 May and 23 June 2026: You can register for these courses via the Internal Training and Development programme. Register here.

Dates for students

• 25 June, 22 October and 12 November 2026 (further details to follow)

Speaker

In response to an initiative by staff members (Friedrich Arndt, William Phelps, Felix Wittenzellner), a workshop on the topic of “Male Allyship” will take place on 24 April 2026. Employees who identify as men are warmly invited to reflect on their role in fostering a culture on campus that is sensitive to discrimination, based on solidarity and safety while actively advocating for improvements. All genders al welcome.

Cases of sexual violence occur far too frequently and are perpetuated by a culture of turning a blind eye to and downplaying sexist patterns. Addressing this issue is urgently needed, even though it is (also) painful and shameful for many men. The aim of the initiative is for male staff to become better allies for female colleagues and students.

• When: 24 April 2026 from 10 am to 12 noon (sharp)
• Where: Foyer of the auditorium in Collegiate Building I

Dear University of Freiburg Members,

I would like to thank you warmly, also on behalf of the entire University management, for accepting our invitation to this discussion and for turning out in such large numbers at the University auditorium on Monday, 16 March 2026, to discuss the court case that concerns us all.

We would also like to thank you – above all the staff members and students who have been affected – for your openness and the constructive manner in which you have expressed your questions, impressions and expectations. The focus has been on critical feedback regarding the University’s handling of the case. Many of you have expressed that you would have liked to see more support and communication. It pains us that our efforts have not met these expectations. We regret that affected colleagues, in an extremely stressful situation, did not consistently receive the support and reliability they desired and should have been able to expect.

We are currently carefully evaluating and reviewing the University’s handling of the case to date, and we will also be drawing on external expertise for this purpose. We will also do everything in our power to ensure that those affected and potentially affected receive the best possible support.

As announced at the event, we are also compiling the questions that were asked and those that continue to reach us, and will answer and publish them collectively. In doing so, we will also inform you about further support options. 

We would also like to inform you that we have learnt today from the Public Prosecutor’s Office that it will be appealing against the verdict. This is also of great significance to us. We are currently trying to facilitate direct contact between affected and potentially affected staff members and students and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. As soon as we have further information on this, we will share it with you.

It is also important for me to reiterate: I myself am deeply shocked by the acts committed against so many women. The intent, the consistency and the criminal energy with which sexual violence has been directed against female students and staff at our University are beyond comprehension. I am speechless and angry, yet at the same time very determined: our University must be a safe campus and workplace where no woman need fear sexual violence. We will continue to work towards this with all our might.

We will be in touch as soon as possible with further information on the next steps.

Kind regards,

Kerstin Krieglstein

We, the University Council, have received the events surrounding the criminal verdict of March 9, 2026, with shock and deep regret.

We express our sympathy to all those directly and indirectly affected. We will do everything in our power to support them now and in the future.

In today’s meeting of the University Council, we discussed the situation in thoroughly, both without and with the University Executive Board.

The university will commission an independent external assessment to comprehensively clarify the incidents and to develop proposals for improving governance and prevention.

The various status groups of the university will be involved in this process.

Dear Members of the University of Freiburg,

Yesterday, March 20, 2026, we had the opportunity to meet with Petra Olschowski, Minister for Science, Research and the Arts, to discuss the cases of sexualized violence committed by a former employee and the University of Freiburg’s handling of them. The University Executive Board and I are grateful that this meeting could take place. It was extremely valuable for us, both in reflecting on the past and in looking ahead.

I would like to sincerely thank you for responding to the invitation in great numbers despite the short notice and for once again contributing openly, critically, and constructively to the discussion. Our thanks also go to the Minister, who took the time to meet with us and engaged in dialogue with the Executive Board, members of our university community, and the affected persons. As this opportunity for discussion arose at short notice, we kindly ask for your understanding that we were unable to invite you earlier.

The dialogue with you and with Minister Olschowski marks another important step for me and the Executive Board in resolutely advancing three central objectives. First: We will do everything in our power to provide the best possible support to the affected colleagues and female students, as well as to those who may potentially be affected. Second: We will carefully and critically review the university’s previous handling of the case and once again examine and further strengthen our prevention and protection measures. Third: Based on the bitter and painful experiences of those affected and the lessons we as a university draw from them, we intend to make an active contribution within the higher education landscape to addressing the broader societal problem of sexualized violence against women: by creating greater awareness, fostering even more strongly a culture of sensitivity and recognition, and further developing ourselves as a learning institution that reflects on its own shortcomings and actively shares the insights gained with other universities.

At the meeting, Minister Olschowski stated: “I am appalled and deeply affected by what so many women have experienced—not only as a result of criminal offenses in private settings, but also during a business trip and on the grounds of the University of Freiburg. Our universities must be safe spaces free from fear for everyone. This is a matter very close to my heart. As a ministry, we must, want to, and will do everything in our power to support the university leadership in addressing the case, offering assistance to the affected women, ensuring that campus safety is strengthened, and expanding protective measures. We will remain in close contact with the Rectorate to this end.” We are very grateful to the Minister for these clear words and her pledged support and will closely involve the Ministry in the further review of the university’s handling of the case.

In its statement of March 18, 2026, the University Council also announced its active support, for which we are likewise very grateful. The statement of the University Council has been published on our website.

I would also like to point out that we have published a compilation of our responses to the questions received so far regarding the case on our website.
This section, as well as the entire webpage on the topic, will be updated continuously.

Here you will also continue to find the contact details of our support services should you require help and assistance, as well as our specially established contact address, kontaktstelle@zv.uni-freiburg.de, if you would like to give us further feedback. I would also like to once again draw your attention to the police contact address for potentially affected persons: freiburg.pp@polizei.bwl.de

We will keep you informed about further developments and information regarding the case via email and additional dialogue formats, and I also welcome your suggestions and recommendations for implementation through these channels.

We are aware that not only the acts themselves, but also speaking about them and the process of addressing them can be very distressing for affected and potentially affected persons and may bring past experiences back to the forefront. We will take this into account with particular sensitivity in the further process of review.

With kind regards,

Kerstin Krieglstein
Rector

Dear colleagues at the University, dear students,

We, as staff members of the Service Center Studium (SCS), are particularly affected by the criminal acts of our former colleague and the communication surrounding the trial: here in the building, he worked in the Advising and Counselling team; some of our female colleagues are proven victims, whilst many others are wondering, with good reason, whether or to what extent they too have been affected.

Our solidarity goes out to all those affected – regardless of whether they are proven or probable victims in this case, or whether the case brings back memories of previous experiences of abuse of power or boundary violations. We stand by your side. We will, of course, offer whatever help and support we can provide.

We fully understand the questions that we receive individually through various channels. Even within SCS, for legal reasons, information about the case has only been known to individual colleagues at different times over the past two years. This has made transparent and open communication even more difficult and, in hindsight, has led to mistakes in internal communication. In most cases, our student staff only became aware of the criminal acts in the course of the current proceedings. Not only are some of them potentially affected, but in the course of their work they must also expect to be confronted with questions about the case. At the same time, as an institution, we would have wished for a clearer and more supportive information policy, as well as appropriate crisis management on the part of the university leadership and the investigating authorities – particularly one that takes greater account of the legitimate information interests of staff and students.

We are deeply shocked and hurt by the fact that our former colleague, particularly in his role as a student counsellor, has abused the trust of those seeking advice in such a serious manner. This behaviour is fundamentally at odds with what all the counselling services in the building stand for: providing a safe and confidential space for those seeking advice.

Part of the damage caused by these actions lies in the fact that we must repeatedly relive and support the processing of numerous questions and emotions – such as shock, anger or fear – as soon as further groups of people learn of them. This strain is also clearly felt by many of us in the SCS. At the same time, everyone has different needs when dealing with the situation, and these different needs must also be respected. This statement was therefore drafted by those within the SCS who are currently actively addressing the issue.

We have received numerous messages from colleagues expressing their sympathy and solidarity and offering their support. We would like to thank you all very much for this! Like many others at the university, we are committed to critically reviewing how this case has been handled, to receiving and providing the support that is now needed, and to learning from this experience for the future. We have also initiated such a process internally within the SCS and will be bringing in external supervision.

We hope that, as members of the university community, we can find a way forward that enables clarification, protects those affected and provides relief to those already under strain. We at the SCS want to be able to resume our work with confidence in our working environment and with renewed strength, so that we can continue to support all students and prospective students in the best possible way with their concerns.

Dear Students, Colleagues, Members and Friends at the University of Freiburg,

As members of the Senate, we are deeply shocked by the criminal acts committed by a former member of staff at the University of Freiburg. Our sympathy and solidarity go out to all female students and staff members whose trust has been betrayed, who feel unsafe and who are suffering.

We therefore discussed the situation in great detail at our meeting today.

We consider a comprehensive investigation into internal procedures by external bodies to be essential.

We call on all relevant state and political authorities to provide the University with their full support in its efforts to clarify the facts and assist those affected.

We expect regular updates from the University management on the current status and the measures taken.

We guarantee that we will continue to place a high priority on the prevention of sexual harassment and sexual violence.

Our University will learn from these events so that all students and staff can feel safe here!

Dear University of Freiburg Members,

We have promised to keep you informed of any new developments regarding the legal proceedings involving a former staff member at our University.

Our top priority is the action plan “Against sexual violence – for a safe campus”, through which we aim to provide better support for those affected and potentially affected at the University, and to strengthen safety on campus and protection against sexual violence for all of you.

In this regard, we have already initiated a number of measures in recent years, such as the establishment of the “protect – Protection against Discrimination and Abuse of Power”, a wide range of events promoting a university culture sensitive to discrimination and gender equality, participation in the annual days of action against violence against women, regular surveys of University members – including on experiences of discrimination – as well as many different events and information from the Equal Opportunities Officer on the topic of sexual violence. However, the current case shows us that more is needed to ensure that all of you, dear students and staff, can feel safe, and so that sexual violence can be prevented as effectively as possible and addressed appropriately.

The first draft of the action plan is now available. It was drawn up by the newly appointed task force dedicated to this issue. I appointed this task force in my capacity as Rector, and it draws on specific expertise as required.

The action plan pursues five objectives:

1. Support those affected or potentially affected
2. Enhance campus security
3. Strengthen structures and processes to protect against sexual violence
4. Review and address the University’s handling of the case
5. Promote education and awareness regarding sexual violence as a societal issue

We are pursuing these objectives through concrete measures. Some of these measures are new and specifically tailored to the current situation. Others were already in the pipeline, such as the guidelines on protection against discrimination, sexual harassment, stalking and abuse of power. However, in light of the current situation, we are further refining and accelerating these measures. It is also important to us to be able to offer specific support tailored to different groups within the University, so that we can respond to your needs as effectively as possible.

Your questions, suggestions and criticisms, which you have expressed at our University-wide meetings, via email and through other channels, have been and continue to be of great importance for the creation and ongoing development of these measures. Thank you very much once again for all of your input!

We would like to present the current status of the measures to you. They also include dates for events that will take place in the coming weeks.

Measures to support “those affected and those who may be affected”:

• We are offering support groups for FLINTA* staff and students, which are facilitated and run externally by Frauenhorizonte, an external specialist organisation. In these safe spaces, participants can discuss, listen and offer mutual support in relation to the current case. FLINTA* students from other universities in the Freiburg area are also welcome to attend. The first two sessions will take place on 8 April 2026 and 15 April 2026. Further dates will be announced shortly. Detailed information is available on our website.
• We will be offering workshops on dealing with sexual harassment and sexual violence. The first seven dates have already been set: for staff on 15 April, 4 May, 5 May and 23 May 2026; for students on 25 June, 22 October and 12 November 2026. Topics include: What is sexual harassment? – Legal principles – Flirting or harassment, where do you draw the line? – Consequences of sexual harassment – What can you do if you are affected? – University measures and points of contact. Further details are available on our website.
• We have also launched guidance and support services for people who worked in the vicinity of the former staff member.

Measures to achieve the objective of “enhancing campus security”:

• Teams from the University are currently stepping up checks of toilet facilities for hidden recording devices. We will also be expanding these checks with the support of an external specialist service provider. From May onwards, this provider will carry out comprehensive and regular checks of all toilet facilities at the University.

Measures to achieve the objective of “strengthening structures and processes to protect against sexual violence”:

• In addition to the existing contact persons available to address sexual harassment and stalking, we have appointed two additional female advisors, Annette Joggerst and Verena Kremling, so that those affected can access an even wider range of advice and support. You can find the contact details of the respective points of contact on our website.
• We are currently drafting a “Policy on Protection against Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Stalking or Abuse of Power”; work on this was already underway. In light of the current case, we will adopt and implement the policy as soon as possible; this is expected to take place during the summer term. The policy will set out the University’s responsibilities and obligations, outline internal counselling services and courses of action, and establish a case and complaints management system.
• We are further developing our existing prevention strategies and processes for dealing with sexual violence, particularly in light of the experiences with the current case. To this end, we are also drawing on external expertise.

Measures relating to the objective “review and address the University’s handling of the case”:

• In this case, we are already conducting initial internal reviews of the University’s processes and are in contact with the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts in this matter.
• We will also be drawing on independent external expertise for our reviews. The University Council and the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts have assured us of their support in this regard. We are currently in discussions with them regarding the implementation of these measures.

Measures aimed at “promoting education and raising awareness regarding sexual violence as a societal issue”:

• An initial step towards this long-term goal is a series of events on the topic of sexual violence. Planning for this is currently underway.
• We also offer events aimed at raising awareness among men. On the initiative of staff members, a workshop on the topic of “Male Allyship” will take place on 24 April 2026. Male staff members are invited to reflect on their contribution to a culture on campus that is sensitive to discrimination, based on solidarity and safe, and to actively advocate for improvements. As a next step, students will also be involved. Further details will be announced on our website.

Following the appalling acts committed by a former staff member, which also took place at our University, we are committed to ensuring that you all feel safe and comfortable again throughout the campus. We realise that this will require some work. This work has begun with the action plan ‘Against sexual violence – for a safe campus’.

Together with you, we want to move swiftly to further action, and we welcome any suggestions for additional measures.

You can find detailed information on the case, contact points and the events mentioned on our website.

Best regards,

Kerstin Krieglstein
Rector

Dear University of Freiburg Members,

I am writing to you today with additional information that the Freiburg police have shared with us regarding the court case involving a former employee.

Due to the large number of enquiries about the case from potentially affected individuals, the police will be conducting a further analysis of the video footage. They ask for your understanding that this process will take some time, and that it is not yet possible to estimate a specific timeframe.

The police have already stated that “according to all findings from the analysis carried out so far, the focus of the video recordings is not on the University premises.” Furthermore, “the investigations have still not revealed any evidence that the video material has been distributed in any form.”

Anyone wishing to check whether they are affected can contact the police directly. In this regard, they advise: “As part of the analysis, we can check whether video recordings were made of you. To ensure that the analysis can be carried out effectively, we require a photograph of you (ideally a JPG file in the highest possible resolution and in colour) as well as your full contact details (surname, first name, date and place of birth, address, telephone number, email address). It is also relevant for the review to know where and during what period you believe you may have been filmed.”

If you would like the police to check whether you are affected, you can send them the above information by email to: freiburg.kd.k1@polizei.bwl.deIn this context, the police point out that “once the criminal proceedings have been concluded, all recordings will be deleted.”

Regarding the statute of limitations for these cases, the police also state: “Unless new evidence comes to light, it is to be assumed that the limitation period for the offences in question is five years. Older recordings, particularly those from 2018 and earlier, can therefore no longer be prosecuted under current law.”

We welcome the ongoing investigations into the case and very much hope that this will lead to further clarification of the matter, both for affected and potentially affected individuals, as well as for us as an institution.

Regardless of this, we will continue to vigorously pursue and implement our action plan “Against sexual violence – for a safe campus”, which we presented to you in our email of 2 April 2026. We have already received a great deal of feedback on this, for which we are very grateful.

Detailed information on the case and available support services can still be found on our website.

Kind regards,

Kerstin Krieglstein
Rector

Staff and students who may have been affected can contact the police at the following address: freiburg.pp@polizei.bwl.de The University of Freiburg is in contact with the police, who have received a very large number of enquiries from those potentially affected. The University of Freiburg has no influence over the resulting processing time for these enquiries by the police.

The University of Freiburg is also in contact with the public prosecutor’s office and has been informed that it will not be possible to submit a collective report to the public prosecutor’s office.

The claim that the former employee received a severance payment of 25,000 euros from the University of Freiburg is incorrect. Background: As there was already substantial evidence against the employee in February 2024, the University immediately terminated his employment without notice. The former employee subsequently brought an appeal against his dismissal. The University’s primary aim was to ensure the safety of staff and students, including by preventing the former employee from returning to his workplace, even for the duration of what was likely to be a protracted legal process. This was achieved through a settlement in the employment tribunal in the summer of 2024. This settlement involves a gross payment of around 20,000 euros, which also settled existing claims such as holiday pay.

 The University’s primary aim was to ensure the safety of staff and students, including by ensuring that the former employee does not return to his workplace, even for the duration of what is likely to be a lengthy legal process. We reserve the right to seek repayment of the sum through legal channels, based on the information currently available.

It was not legally possible for the University to act as a civil claimant in the criminal proceedings. Only victims of offences may act as civil claimants. This was most recently confirmed by the public prosecutor’s office on March 20, 2026, upon renewed inquiry.

Until the case was heard at Freiburg district court on 9 March 2026, the University of Freiburg was unable, for data protection reasons, to provide information about the case either internally or externally in the manner it would have wished. Within the limits permitted by law, the University informed staff working in the immediate vicinity of the perpetrator about the case. The fact that this information was only subsequently passed on to student staff and other staff working in the building in the immediate vicinity of the perpetrator is an oversight which the University of Freiburg deeply regrets.

The University only became aware of the confirmation of the suspicion under investigation – namely that the former employee had also committed criminal offences on University premises – during the court hearing on 9 March 2026. Prior to this, the University had repeatedly requested information from the investigating authorities regarding the current status of the investigation, particularly in light of its duty of care. The University had not received this information by the time of the court hearing. The fact, which came to light during the court hearing, that the former employee had also secretly filmed female students during counselling sessions, had not previously been suspected by the University. In light of this new information, the University immediately undertook a reassessment of the case. This meant that the University communicated on the case on 12 March 2026 rather than, as planned, immediately on 9 March 2026 – a delay which it regrets and would have preferred to have avoided.

When the University became aware that the member of staff had installed cameras in the bathroom of a private flat he was letting out in order to film the women living there in intimate situations, it assisted with the investigation and stepped up its protection and prevention measures . When the University learnt that female staff members who had shared a flat with the perpetrator whilst on a business trip were also affected, it promptly offered them immediate support.

The colleagues concerned have since made it clear that, during an extremely stressful situation, they did not receive the support and reliability they had hoped for and should have been able to expect. We deeply regret this.

Numerous other members of the University have also stated that they would have liked to see more support and communication overall. It pains us that our efforts have not met expectations. We are currently carefully evaluating and reviewing the University’s handling of the case to date, and we will also be drawing on external expertise for this purpose. We are also doing everything in our power to ensure that those affected and potentially affected receive the best possible support.

In order to provide reliable information on this matter, the University is currently conducting a thorough review. As soon as the information is available, we will publish it here.

When the University of Freiburg became aware of the incident, it stepped up checks for unauthorised recording equipment in university toilets and shower rooms. It is now intensifying these checks even further. She is now intensifying this further with regular checks by an external security service. The aim is to ensure that all members and visitors to the University can feel safe in these areas at all times. We ask for your understanding that we cannot disclose further details regarding measures that are security-related.    

The University of Freiburg has a framework of various prevention and protection measures in place. These include, amongst other things, contact points for cases of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, as well as our guidelines for dealing with cases of sexual harassment, which are continuously being updated. Over the past two years, the University has also expanded its measures by establishing a contact and counselling centre for cases of discrimination and abuse of power (protect). Findings from this case have been and will continue to be incorporated into prevention and protection measures and their further development.

Firstly, the University of Freiburg will carefully assess and review the case and its own handling of it. On this basis, it will also further develop its protection and prevention measures, as well as its information and support services. Specific immediate measures will include: the establishment of a supervised support space for those affected, expanded checks of toilet facilities, training programmes on dealing with sexual violence and sexual harassment, and supervision and support services for persons who worked in the perpetrator’s vicinity. In the medium and long term, the focus will be, among other things, on implementing and further expanding prevention and protection measures even more consistently – including in staff onboarding, management programmes and teaching. We are doing everything in our power to prevent crimes such as these, as well as any other crimes and assaults, on our campus. At the same time, it is important to emphasise that the University of Freiburg is a public, complex and, as such, vulnerable space, and that even with the utmost commitment, it can never be entirely ruled out that individuals may commit crimes within it.

The University also asks its members to be vigilant and not to hesitate to report any suspicions. If you wish to report any observations, you send an email to the following address at any time: kontaktstelle@zv.uni-freiburg.de

The university administration has meanwhile gained knowledge of the discovery of a camera in a university restroom in 2014. At the time, the student concerned reported the matter to the police and handed over the camera there. This case will also form part of the review and processing of the overall matter that the University of Freiburg is now undertaking.