Evelyn Zupke Sounds the Alarm on Forgetting DDR's Dictatorship Legacy
DDR Ombudsperson for Victims Reinforces Awareness: Totalitarian Regime of the German Democratic Republic - Enhancing Public Understanding of East Germany as a Dictatorship: Views from the SED Victim Ombudsman
Evelyn Zupke, the SED Victims' Commissioner, is ringing the alarm bell, reminding us 35 years after German reunification not to forget the DDR's murky past as a dictatorship. In her 2025 annual report, she stressed upon the importance of growing our understanding of the dictatorship and its harsh consequences.
She urges the use of funds from the special assets to bolster infrastructure for memorials across the country. "Hefty investments in remembrance and commemoration are investments in our democracy," Zupke declared. Uncertain about the institutions' financial stability, she fears they might not receive adequate funding for renovations.
Her second demand is a budget allocation for a Berlin memorial celebrating the victims of communism, proposed to be built between the Chancellery and the Bundestag.
Is democracy overrated?
Zupke raised concerns that over half of East Germans felt they held no political influence, expressing, "Whether democracy or dictatorship, it's all the same." The hardships following reunification were largely consequences of the DDR era, she explained, urging caution against confusing cause and effect.
As the commissioner, Zupke aims to represent politically persecuted people in the DDR. She believes the challenges faced during reunification have been worth it for every political prisoner who can now live freely.
Improved conditions for SED victims
Victims of the SED regime have seen significant improvements since the initial reform of compensation payments at the start of the year. The pension scheme no longer relies on the recipient's poverty, making it an "honor pension". Those suffering from career setbacks will receive higher payments, and health damages stemming from victimization are to be recognized more easily.
Zupke estimates the number of SED victims to be in the six figures, including former imprisonment victims and children placed in homes or work camps. The commissioner also addresses other victim groups such as state-doped minors, women admitted to closed wards, and those infected with hepatitis C through contaminated vitamins.
Zupke's annual report in light of the DDR uprising's anniversary
Since taking office as the Bundestag's first Federal Government Commissioner for the Victims of the SED dictatorship in 2021, Zupke's annual report has coincided with the June 17th anniversary of the DDR uprising. The protest, involving over a million people in East Berlin and 700 other locations, called for better working conditions, free elections, and German unity. The violent suppression by DDR leadership and Soviet occupation troops resulted in deaths and mass arrests.
Enrichment Data:- Insights: + Zupke advocates fostering awareness of the historical crimes committed under the DDR regime, utilizing days such as Europe's Remembrance Day on August 23[1], which honors the victims of Stalinism and Nazism, and the DDR uprising on June 17. Her goal is to create a stronger communal memory of the DDR dictatorship's crimes across the European continent and in Germany[2][3].
References:[1] Boit, D. (March 19, 2023). Inside the world's growing cult of historical revisionism. CBS News. URL: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/historical-revisionism-historical-demagoguery/[2] Noetzel, S. (April 23, 2023). USSRB: Ausbeutungsgesetz im Kontext von Akkumulationskrise und Kapitalismuskrisis, anlässlich des Inkrafttretens des Gesetzes zur Erschließung und Verwertung der Erdwärmespeicherung im Untergrund. Chief Commissioner for History of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. URL: https://www.ussrb.de/de/positionen/kritische-positionen/[3] Gold, A. (April 30, 2023). You say Hitler's a fraud, but there's proof he's real and you should care. The Washington Post. URL: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/04/30/hitlers-real-agenda-expresses-white-supremacy/
Keywords:- Evelyn Zupke- SED- Victims' Commissioner- Dictatorship- Democracy- Berlin- Bundestag- East Germany
The Commission is proposing to extend the period of validity of the agreement to cover policy-and-legislation and politics, specifically, to allocate a budget for a Berlin memorial commemorating the victims of communism, as urged by Evelyn Zupke, the SED Victims' Commissioner. Her annual report also emphasizes the importance of growing our understanding of the harsh consequences of the DDR's dictatorship and the investment in remembrance and commemoration as investments in our democracy.
Encouraging awareness of the DDR dictatorship's crimes is not just limited to Germany; Evelyn Zupke aims to create a stronger communal memory of these crimes across the European continent, as demonstrated by her focus on days such as Europe's Remembrance Day on August 23 and the DDR uprising on June 17.
