Crime - Court admits murder charge against ex-Stasi employee
Around 34 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, an ex-Stasi employee is to stand trial for treacherous murder. The Berlin Regional Court has admitted a corresponding charge against a now 79-year-old man from Leipzig, as a court spokeswoman told the German Press Agency on request. It is not yet clear when the trial will begin.
The Berlin public prosecutor's office announced in mid-October that it had brought charges against the former Stasi employee. He is alleged to have shot a Pole in East Berlin at the former Friedrichstrasse station border crossing on March 29, 1974. According to the indictment, the man killed the 38-year-old victim "with a targeted shot to the back from a hiding place".
According to the indictment, the accused was a member of an operational group of the Ministry of State Security at the time of the crime and was tasked with "neutralizing" the Pole. Prior to this, the 38-year-old is said to have tried to force his departure to West Berlin at the Polish embassy.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the investigation did not make any progress for many years: It was not until 2016 that there was a decisive tip-off from the Stasi records archive, an authority spokesperson said. Unlike today, it was initially assumed that it was manslaughter. In this case, the crime would have been time-barred.
In the meantime, the public prosecutor's office considers the murder criterion of malice aforethought to be fulfilled. The court initially followed this argument. According to the court spokeswoman, the competent chamber "admitted the indictment to the main trial without any restrictions, opening the main proceedings".
Information on the case Statement from the public prosecutor's office
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- The German Press Agency reported that a court spokeswoman confirmed the murder charge against a former Stasi employee from East Berlin, originating from Leipzig in Saxony.
- The German public prosecutor's office, based in Berlin, brought murder charges against this ex-Stasi agent in mid-October, more than four decades after the incident.
- The victim was a Polish man who was allegedly shot at the former Friedrichstrasse station border crossing in 1974 by the Stasi employee, as stated in the indictment.
- The accused was assigned to an operational group of the Ministry of State Security (MfS) at the time of the criminal act, as reported by the public prosecutor's office.
- Due to lack of progress in the investigation, it was assumed that the case was manslaughter until a significant tip-off from the Stasi archives in 2016, revealing potential malice aforethought.
- The 79-year-old man is to be prosecuted in the Regional Court of Leipzig, following a decision made by the competent chamber to admit the indictment without limitations.
- This historical case highlights the controversial past of East Germany's (GDR) infamous secret police, the Stasi, and serves as a reminder of the criminality prevailing during that era.
- In Germany, justice continues to strive for truth and accountability in the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall, no matter how long it takes.
- The story of this Stasi employee and the Polish victim serves as a stark reminder of the complexities that still exist within East Germany's history of espionage and secrecy.
Source: www.stern.de
