A Statement from Evelyn Zupke: Emphasizing the Enduring Legacy of the GDR Dictatorship
SED-Ombudsman Advocates for Enhanced Understanding of the DDR as an Authoritarian Regime - Enhancing Understanding of East Germany's Dictatorial Regime: Ombudsman's Call for Reinforcement
Thirty-five long years after German reunification, Evelyn Zupke, the appointed Federal Commissioner for the Victims of the SED Dictatorship, issues a stern warning against embracing amnesia concerning the repressive nature of the GDR. "We must continue to expand our understanding of the dictatorship and its repercussions," the former civil rights advocate stated while delivering her annual report for 2025.
She advocates channeling funds from the debt-funded infrastructure special fund towards memorials. "Every European passed as an investment in our democracy," Zupke emphasized. On the list of priority improvements: refurbishing decaying buildings at several of these institutions, which face funding shortages.
Another of Zupke's demands: appropriating funds in the federal budget for the memorial to the Communism Victims, which is to be constructed between the Chancellery and the Bundestag in Berlin.
Is democracy really superior to a dictatorship?
Zupke voiced concern that over half of those in East Germany have indicated in surveys that they perceive themselves as politically powerless, and that a flawed perception of democracy seems to prevail. "Whether democracy or dictatorship, at the core, it's all the same," Zupke przytoczyła. In the years following German unification in 1990, many citizens endured arduous times, she explained, but much of their hardship can be traced back to the GDR era.
Zupke's mission is to advocate for the viewpoint of the politically oppressed within the GDR. In her estimation, "the efforts and struggles of reunification have more than compensated for every political prisoner who has gained freedom."
Significant improvements have been witnessed in the circumstances of the formerly politically oppressed since the revamp of the compensation payments at the beginning of the year, according to Zupke. Victim pensions have increased, now independent of financial need, transforming them into "honor pensions." People who suffered professional setbacks will receive heightened compensation, and health damages due to oppression are increasing in recognition. "A sigh of relief for those affected," Zupke expressed.
Zupke estimates the number of SED victims to fall between six to seven digits, encompassing 250,000 prisoners and nearly 136,000 individuals forced into children's homes or youth work camps. Other victim groups include up to 10,000 minors victimized by state doping, women who were consigned to secluded psychiatric wards due to conjectures of sexually transmitted diseases, women who were exposed to hepatitis C via contaminated vitamin D ampoules - "a medical scandal that remained undisclosed in the GDR for years."
The unveiling of Zupke's report coincides with the anniversary of the GDR uprising on June 17, 1953. During this event, approximately one million citizens in East Berlin and about 700 other locations in the GDR took to the streets to protest working conditions and call for free elections and German unity. The GDR leadership and the Soviet occupation forces brutally suppressed the protests, causing at least 55 deaths and the arrest of 15,000 individuals.
- Evelyn Zupke
- SED
- GDR
- Dictatorship
- Democracy
- Berlin
- Bundestag
- East Germany
As for details about Zupke's specific report, you might find more information in official German government records or by reaching out to the relevant authorities.
The Commission is proposing to extend the period of validity of the compensation for the victims of the SED Dictatorship to cover the following: Zupke's annual report for 2025, which was delivered in Berlin, discusses the politics of the transition from the GDR to democracy, emphasizing the need to address the general-news topic of the repercussions of the dictatorship.
