State representative for dealing with the consequences of the communist dictatorship

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The state commissioner for dealing with the consequences of the communist dictatorship ( LAkD ) advises people in Brandenburg who were directly or indirectly affected by persecution during the time of the Soviet occupation and the subsequent GDR era . At the same time he is supposed to teach about the effects and effects of the dictatorship.

background

Brandenburg Law on Processing Commissioners

On July 7, 2009, in one of its last sessions of the electoral period, the Brandenburg state parliament passed the law on the representative of the state of Brandenburg to deal with the consequences of the communist dictatorship (Brandenburgisches Aufarbeitbeauftragtengesetz - BbgAufarbBG -, GVBl. I / 09, No. 09, p. 190). While such an office had already been set up in the rest of the new federal states in the early 1990s, Brandenburg followed suit after almost two decades under the grand coalition. In the official designation of the Brandenburg commissioner, the actual tasks of the authority were more clearly expressed than in the designation of the state commissioner for the records of the state security service of the former GDR; meanwhile all other five state commissioners have been renamed according to § 38 StUG : "to come to terms with the SED dictatorship" or "for the work-up of the SED dictatorship".

On the political context

The first processing officer, Ulrike Poppe

After the state elections in autumn 2009 and the formation of a government coalition between the SPD and Die Linke ( Platzeck III cabinet ), it was feared that critical confrontation with the SED dictatorship and its consequences could take a back seat. After the peaceful revolution , the “Brandenburger Weg” of the governments under Prime Minister Manfred Stolpe (Cabinets I , II and III , November 1990 to June 2002) had already led to failures in the reappraisal. Despite a section in the coalition agreement that commented on the politics of the past, the credibility of the red-red government with regard to a resolute GDR reappraisal was again shaken when the activities of several members of the Left Party for the Stasi increasingly dominated media coverage. Against this background, the early appointment of a processing officer, the willingness of all members of the state parliament to have themselves checked according to the Stasi Records Act, as well as the establishment of an inquiry commission to “come to terms with the history and deal with the consequences of the SED dictatorship and the transition into one democratic constitutional state in the state of Brandenburg "an important expression of the general readiness of the state parliament to face the past.

Appointment of Ulrike Poppe

On December 17, 2009, at the suggestion of Prime Minister Matthias Platzeck, the former GDR opposition activist and civil rights activist Ulrike Poppe was unanimously elected by the state parliament as the first state representative for six years. She took up her position on February 22, 2010. Her official inauguration took place on March 23, 2010 by the President of the State Parliament, Gunter Fritsch (SPD), in the Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam .

First amendment to the Law on Processing Commissioners

After the Law on Processing Commissioners came into force, the State Commissioner was subordinated to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MBJS) in accordance with Section 13 of the State Organization Act. On February 26, 2010, however, the state parliament passed the first amendment to the law, with which it was withdrawn from the MBJS's competence in accordance with Art. 74 of the state constitution and made subordinate to the president of the state parliament. Since then, it has been an institution of the Brandenburg state parliament and, in accordance with Section 4 of the law, has to report to it every two years on its activities. This step should ensure the independence of the country representative from the respective government even more.

Appointment of Maria Nooke

The State Parliament of Brandenburg voted on June 29, 2017 Maria Nooke the new State Commissioner for working up the consequences of the communist dictatorship; her term of office began in October 2017.

tasks

The LAkD is located in downtown Potsdam (Hegelallee 3).

The tasks of the state commissioner are named in Paragraph 2 of the Law on Processing Commissioners. They can be summarized in three complexes.

Citizen advice

All citizens of the state of Brandenburg who are looking for advice on dealing with the history of the Soviet Zone and the GDR can turn to the state commissioner. These are e.g. B. those who are looking for support in exercising their right to inspect the documents filed by the Ministry for State Security (MfS) in accordance with Sections 13–17 of the Stasi Records Act . Especially those who were politically persecuted from 1945 to 1989 and their relatives are advised on questions of rehabilitation, compensation and pension compensation according to the SED injustice laws. In the event of health problems caused by persecution, they are also supported in arranging psychosocial help.

Political and historical reappraisal

This area includes the education of the public about the functioning of dictatorial systems with special consideration of the communist dictatorship in the Soviet occupation zone and GDR . This takes place in cooperation with victims' associations, processing initiatives, educational institutions and memorials.

Advice to public authorities

This includes advising state institutions and other public institutions in dealing with files of the Ministry for State Security of the GDR (MfS) and in checking their employees and job applicants for cooperation with the MfS.

First activity report

On March 15, 2012, the State Commissioner Ulrike Poppe presented the President of the State Parliament, Fritsch, with her first activity report.

According to the report, when the state commissioners began their work, the greatest deficits were in advising the disadvantaged and persecuted in the GDR, who had a lot of catching up to do due to the special history of Brandenburg. In the reporting period, a total of 1977 people seeking help turned to the LAkD. However, many of the increasingly older people affected are still afraid of the lengthy application process for recognition of their political persecution and the consequential damage to their health. Here, the state commissioner works together with the rehabilitation authorities and advocates greater sensitivity towards the applicants as well as a reversal in the evidence procedure (i.e. that the burden of proof lies with the authorities if they do not recognize damage to health as a result of repression suffered).

In addition, the report provides information on the initiatives funded by the State Commissioner (e.g. the "Zeitensprünge" program of the Democratic Youth Foundation , Human Rights Center Cottbus eV) and their cooperation with institutions such as the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences as part of a project to collect eyewitness memories, various Victim associations or the BStU .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Law on the Representative of the State of Brandenburg to Process the Consequences of the Communist Dictatorship (Brandenburgisches Aufverarbeitungbeauftragtengesetz - BbgAufarbBG). In: bravors.brandenburg.de. State of Brandenburg, December 20, 2016, accessed January 17, 2020 .
  2. ^ Stephan Hilsberg: GDR processing: How Brandenburg transfigured the Stasi. In: zeit.de. June 24, 2011, accessed January 17, 2020 .
  3. ↑ thm / pet: Debate about the past in Brandenburg: Stolpe admits mistakes and speaks of agitation. In: pnn.de - Potsdam's latest news. June 27, 2011, accessed January 17, 2020 .
  4. ^ Editing of the Brandenburg State Parliament : Brandenburg State Parliament. Retrieved January 16, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Dr. Maria Nooke - Welcome to the website of the representative of the State of Brandenburg to come to terms with the consequences of the communist dictatorship. Retrieved January 16, 2020 (German).
  6. ↑ SED Laws to Correct Injustice (SED-UnBerG). In: berlin.de. State of Berlin, accessed on January 16, 2020 .
  7. ^ Dapd: Brandenburg: Poppe earns praise and recognition. In: pnn.de - Potsdam's latest news. June 8, 2012, accessed January 17, 2020 .
  8. ^ The representative of the state of Brandenburg to come to terms with the consequences of the communist dictatorship: First activity report. Reporting period January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011. In: mwae.brandenburg.de. March 15, 2012, accessed January 17, 2020 .