Rozliczanie przeszłości. Odpowiedzialności byłych przywódców wschodnioniemieckich za śmierć uciekinierów z NRD
Settling Accounts with the Past. The Responsibility of Former East-German Leaders for the Death of Escapees from the GDR

Summary/Abstract: The subject matter considered includes selected aspects of the legal proceedings in the case against Fritz Streletz, Heinz Kessler and Egon Krenz concerning instances of homicide of persons illegally crossing the border of the German Democratic Republic. The first part of the article outlines the historical background and the profiles of the three former party leaders of the GDR. Next, the trial of the East German policy-makers in unified Germany is analyzed. Reasons for the judgment of the district courts, federal courts and the Federal Constitutional Tribunal are discussed. The last part presents the case of F. Streletz, H. Kessler and E. Krenz before the European Tribunal of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The arguments of the plaintiffs are collated with the standpoint of the government party and then related to the decision of the Strasbourg Tribunal.

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