Martin Naumann, now 80, shot Czesław Kukuczka in the back at close range on 29 March 1974 as Kukuczka walked towards the last in a series of control posts at a transit area in the divided city, having been told he had a free pass to escape to West Berlin.
The truth surrounding Kukuczka's death was never revealed to his family. Instead, his cremated remains were sent in an urn to his wife, Emilia, weeks later.
It took the dogged research skills of a historian immersed in the history of the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (Ministry for State Security, usually shortened to Stasi), which was the intelligence service and secret police of the communist German Democratic Republic, to unearth the details of the case years later.
Stefan Appelius found documents about the shooting and the subsequent attempts to cover it up in the archives of the former Stasi, and tracked down Kukuczka's family in Poland. They alerted the Polish judiciary to the case, who issued a European arrest warrant for Naumann in 2021, which put pressure on German investigative authorities to reopen the case after decades of inaction. Naumann was charged with murder in October last year.
Details specifically linking Naumann to the killing had emerged only in 2016, after documents shredded by Stasi officers in the dying days of the regime in order to cover up its activities were pieced together by a digital "puzzler" machine manufactured specially for the purpose.
Naumann, from Leipzig, who had repeatedly denied the charges against him, was one of the first former GDR officials to be charged with murder instead of manslaughter. Prosecutors had demanded a 12-year prison sentence for him, highlighting the "particularly treacherous" characteristic of the killing, namely that Kukuczka was shot having believed he had made it to freedom.
Esta historia es de la edición October 15, 2024 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 15, 2024 de The Guardian.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
This one will mean something different. I'm doing it for me now'
The big interview Joseph Parker New Zealander believes upsetting Daniel Dubois on Saturday to claim the IBF world heavyweight title would be his greatest achievement yet
'We are one' Sudanese refugees find sanctuary with their neighbours
At the Joda border crossing between Sudan and South Sudan, movement is constant. Just 100 metres separate the two border checkpoints - on the Sudanese side, three raised flags welcome newcomers; on the South Sudanese side, a sign in Arabic and English marks the entrance to the country.
No chilling effect
Watchdog chief embraces new focus on growth
Clubs will disappear Grassroots rugby still crying out for help in shadow of Six Nations riches
ou may have noticed that the sports pages are less, well, sporty than they once were.
'Buckle up and enjoy the ride' Van Dijk calls on Liverpool to calm nerves and relish title race
Van Dijk calls on Liverpool to calm nerves and relish title race
Julianne Moore children's book under 'ideology' review in US
Julianne Moore has said it is a \"great shock\" to learn that one of her books has been \"banned by the Trump administration\" from schools serving the children of US military personnel and civilian defence employees.
Rise in teenagers penalised for riding e-scooters
Electric scooters have been blamed for a surge in children being penalised for driving without insurance.
Push to free Letby 'not right thing to do', says Streeting
Wes Streeting has said \"waging a campaign\" on behalf of Lucy Letby is \"not the right thing to do\".
Misogyny and mind games: Murdoch family rifts exposed in rare interview
More of the Murdoch family's betrayals, leaks, \"mind games\", manipulations and humiliations have been laid bare, after a messy court trial that offered tantalising glimpses inside the dynasty.
Bringing wolves back to Scotland could restore woodland - study
Reintroducing wolves in the Scottish Highlands could lead to an expansion of native woodland, which could take in and store 1m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, researchers have suggested.
