Court admits murder charge against ex-Stasi employee

Process - 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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1. The ex-Stasi employee's trial for treacherous murder is taking place in Germany, specifically in the Berlin Regional Court, nearly 34 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
2. The man, now 79-years-old and from Leipzig, is facing a murder charge that was admitted by the court spokeswoman upon request from the German Press Agency.
3. The public prosecutor's office in Berlin announced the charges against the former Stasi employee in mid-October, citing his alleged involvement in the shooting of a Pole at the Friedrichstrasse station border crossing in East Berlin on March 29, 1974.
4. The accused is accused of killing the 38-year-old victim with a targeted shot to the back from a hiding place, according to the indictment, which also claims that he was a member of an operational group of the Ministry of State Security at the time of the crime, tasked with "neutralizing" the Pole.
5. Prior to the shooting, the 38-year-old is said to have tried to force his departure to West Berlin at the Polish embassy, but the public prosecutor's office claims that the investigation did not progress for many years until a decisive tip-off from the Stasi records archive in 2016.
6. At first, the crime was believed to be manslaughter, but the public prosecutor's office now considers the murder criterion of malice aforethought to be fulfilled, with the court initially following this argument and admitting the indictment to the main trial without any restrictions.
7. The historical significance of this case is not lost on observers, as it brings to light the criminality that existed during the GDR era and the role of Stasi employees in enforcing such actions.
8. The regional court in Saxony will continue to oversee the trial, acting as a symbol of justice in a country that is still grappling with its past and the consequences of the wall fall.
9. This case serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and accountability, as well as the ongoing role of the legal system in promoting justice and holding individuals accountable for their actions, regardless of the passage of time or the political climate in which they occurred.

Source: www.stern.de