Zur Praxis des politischen Strafrechts in der Honecker-Zeit

The focus of this investigation are members of the GDR’s judiciary, its Ministry of State Security (the Stasi) and political detainees. These people were detained at the prison in Berlin-Hohenschoenhausen during the Honecker regime (1971–1989) and were sentenced by courts in East Berlin. The prisoners were placed at the mercy of the concerted action of the ‘investigative body’ (the Stasi) and ‘supervisory prosecutor’. However, the intended propagandist evaluation of these proceedings and the ‘collective debates’ became less important during Honecker’s time in power. This study aims to contribute to the necessary reappraisal of the GDR’s history.