Berlin – German Chancellor Angela Merkel had condemned diesel emissions tests that were allegedly carried out on monkeys and humans by three major carmakers.
“These tests on monkeys and even humans are in no way ethically justifiable,’’ her spokesman, Steffen Seibert said in a government news conference.
“The outrage felt by many is absolutely understandable,’’ he added.
The advisory boards of those, who commissioned the test – Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW – must now answer critical questions on the experiment and its goals, according to the chancellor.
German Transport Minister, Christian Schmidt, also condemned the tests via a spokesman, who said that they were carried out purely for public-relations reasons.
Merkel has been hailed as the “climate chancellor” for her efforts to help the country shift toward renewable energy.
But she has faced criticism from consumers angered by her refusal to come down harder on German automakers over a widening diesel emissions scandal. (dpa/NAN)