Manfred N. shot and killed Czesław Kukuczka in 1974 and has now been sentenced to ten years in prison. The former STASI officer acted on behalf of the secret service of the German Democratic Republic.
A former agent of the secret police of the German Democratic Republic (STASI) was sentenced to ten years in prison for a crime he committed five decades ago: Manfred N., now 80, shot dead a Pole near the intersection of Friedrichstrasse. at the Berlin Wall, March 29, 1974.
STASI First Lieutenant Shot Firefighter Czesław Kukuczka, 38, in Secret Service Ambush of the German Democratic Republic, when Poles were trying to emigrate to the West, reports DER SPIEGEL.
Gerechtigkeit nach 50 Years: Weil er in den Westen ausreisen wollte, wurde der junge Czeslaw Kukuczka 1974 hinderhältig erschossen. Das Landgericht Berlin hat den Täter, Manfred N. aus Leipzig, nun zu 10 Jahren Haft verurteilt. Wegen solcher Fälle liebe ich unseren Rechtsstaat! pic.twitter.com/W6kW8hoVYJ
— Minister of Justice Dr. Marco Buschmann (Satire) (@buschmannFDP) October 14, 2024
Czesław Kukuczka arrived at the Polish embassy to request documents under the false threat of carrying explosives with themBild advances. After this approach by the Pole, Manfred N. was tasked with neutralizing Kukuczka, an operation he completed. Later, Manfred N. was even awarded the “Bronze Order of Battle” by the secret police.
The case resurfaced in 2016, according to Reuters, when a clue was discovered in STASI’s own archives: a document listing agents who had received awards after the Pole’s death. When investigating the case, the Public Ministry initially assumed that it was an involuntary manslaughter. This line of investigation led to the suspension of the case in 2017, as it was a crime that had already prescribed. Only in 2023 did the authorities consider that they had evidence that it was a voluntary homicide.
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In court, in this This is the first time that a former STASI officer has been convictedManfred N. remained silent: “I don’t want to give more information.” The Prosecutor’s Office demanded a twelve-year prison sentence for the former agent, while the German’s lawyer declared that his client’s guilt had not been proven and requested acquittal. The sentence dictated a sentence of ten years.
1974 wird ein Mann an einem Berliner Grenzübergang erschossen. 50 Jahre später ist das Urteil gegen einen ehemaligen Stasi-Mitarbeiter gefallen: Manfred N. ist wegen Mordes schuldig gesprochen worden. https://t.co/MNn9e9t8fR
– SPIEGEL ticker (@SPIEGEL_alles) October 14, 2024
Source: Observadora
