Germany probes Telegram rape network targeting Chinese women

German prosecutors have traced a Telegram network of roughly two dozen chats that operated for years, after members allegedly posted videos of attacks, traded drugging tips and used coded language to describe rape, while three alleged inner-circle members were convicted and a fourth man stood trial in Berlin.

Court documents say the groups targeted mostly Chinese women in Germany and turned abuse into a kind of instruction manual. Women were referred to as “cars,” sedatives as “fuel,” rape as “driving,” and victims as “dead pigs.” Investigators reviewed several years of posts and say the chats functioned as a so-called “German driving school for experts,” a label prosecutors say captured both the organizing role of the platform and the way violence was normalized inside the groups.

Frankfurt chief prosecutor Dominik Mies said the perpetrators showed “particular ruthlessness” and “objectification of the victims.” The case has moved through Germany’s courts in stages, with three alleged inner-circle members already convicted on rape and other charges and a fourth defendant now on trial in Berlin. German privacy rules have limited what prosecutors can disclose publicly, and parts of the Berlin proceedings have been closed to the public.

The secrecy has frustrated some members of Germany’s Chinese community, who have attended hearings to support the victims. Fu Xiao, who came to the court in Berlin, said the groups showed “they hate women” and have “no respect.” The case has drawn attention well beyond Germany because it sits inside a broader pattern of online-organized sexual violence, where encrypted or semi-closed platforms can help offenders share methods, encouragement and evidence with one another while making it harder for investigators to intervene early.

Telegram has defended its safety practices on its own public pages, saying it maintains a zero-tolerance policy for child sexual abuse material, uses proactive moderation and user reports, and publishes transparency reports on removals. The company’s handling of abuse content and cooperation with authorities has come under closer scrutiny as cases like the German investigation expose how quickly online groups can metastasize into organized criminal networks before law enforcement can dismantle them.