Zupke: Improved support for SED victims

The past recounted through various narratives and accounts. - Zupke: Improved support for SED victims

Approximately 30 years after the closure of the GDR, numerous individuals are still facing health and financial issues due to their suppression, as stated by Evelyn Zupke, a spokesperson for SED victims. She expressed her concerns during her yearly address, stating that the current assistance measures being proposed by Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) are not enough.

Zupke explained, "The unjust treatment and political brutality inflicted upon individuals in the GDR doesn't simply end. It's not something that allows you to just go back to normal. This injustice impacts their current social standing and the often severely damaged health of the victims."

Zupke estimates that during the GDR era, hundreds of thousands of people fell victim to political persecution. This includes around 250,000 prisoners and approximately 100,000 former inmates of youth labor camps. Numerous persecuted individuals have already passed away. Presently, around 38,000 individuals get a SED victim's pension, while another 20,000 receive other forms of support.

Improvements have been vowed in the coalition agreement of the traffic light faction, which is now being put into practice by Buschmann. Nevertheless, the plan unveiled in May doesn't meet Zupke's expectations. For instance, she urges for recognition of illnesses more readily as a result of mistreatment, similar to the manner in which illnesses are recognized for Bundeswehr soldiers following combat deployments. She also voices her concern about the "dynamic increase" of the victim's pension, which refers to the automatic yearly increase in accordance with the age pension, not taking effect until the middle of 2025.

Supposedly, this dynamic increase will see a rise of nine euros per month, however, it is supposed to take effect five and a half years after the last adjustment. "The pensions of ex-Stasi officers have undergone a rise of more than 25% in the same timespan, while the victim's pension has only increased by three to four%," added Zupke. She urges the Bundestag to step in and increase the victim's pension before the dynamic increase is activated.

Read also:

1. Evelyn Zupke, a spokesperson for SED victims, believes that the current assistance measures proposed by Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) fall short in addressing the health and financial issues faced by GDR survivors.
2. In her yearly address, Zupke mentioned the need for recognition of illnesses more readily as a result of mistreatment, drawing parallels with how illnesses are recognized for Bundeswehr soldiers following combat deployments.
3. Zupke also expressed concern about the "dynamic increase" of the victim's pension, which refers to the automatic yearly increase in accordance with the age pension, not taking effect until the middle of 2025.
4. During the GDR era, hundreds of thousands of people faced political persecution, including 250,000 prisoners and approximately 100,000 former inmates of youth labor camps.
5. Marco Buschmann, as part of the coalition agreement of the traffic light faction, has vowed improvements for SED victims, but Zupke feels that the plan unveiled in May does not address these concerns adequately, especially in regards to the pension increase.

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