BERLIN
A former Germany lawmaker charged with possessing illegal pornographic pictures and videos of children apologized Thursday to the people he disappointed with his behavior.
But at a press conference in Berlin, Sebastian Edathy, 45, said the material he purchased from a Canadian firm was legal. He is accused of possessing an illustrated book and a CD with child pornographic content.
"I have definitely made a mistake, but it was legal," he said. He acknowledged, however, that purchasing the material was not ethical.
"I have paid a high price for what I have done," he said.
He declined to respond to a question as to whether he was a pedophile.
"Whether I have pedophilia or not?" he repeated. "That is none of your concern, who I am."
Edathy resigned his seat in parliament on Feb. 7 for unspecified health reasons. He is believed to live outside of Germany, but he said he did not want to say where he has been.
"Because of security reasons, I have predominantly preferred to live abroad," he said.
"The security of my life is not guaranteed in Germany," he said.
Edathy said that he would not campaign again as a politician in Germany, and would not return to Berlin.
After the press conference, Edathy testified before the parliament's commission of investigation.
The regional court of Verden in Lower Saxony State issued an indictment against Edathy in November and announced that the proceedings would start Feb. 23.
According to the indictment, Edathy also used a laptop given to him by the parliament to download child pornographic images and video files between Nov. 1-10, 2013.
The evidence presented to the court includes information saved on the Internet servers of the Federal parliament.
Possession of child pornography is punishable in Germany with up to two years in prison.
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