Stasi documents authority : the Stasi files are under the roof of the Federal archives

Many of the documents on 111 kilometres of Shelving in the Stasi records Agency (BStU) camps, are in poor condition. In about 15,500 bags of millions of pieces of ripped files waiting for your evaluation. Thus, the receipt of the documents and their reconstruction is more guaranteed, and transferred to the authority in the future as a stand-alone area in the Federal archives. The Roland Jahn gave the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi-known documents, together with the President of the Federal archives, Michael Hollmann, on Wednesday at the Federal press conference.

"That courageous citizens have secured the documents and your access won, is one of the Central achievements of the peaceful Revolution," said Jahn. Since 1990, approximately 7.2 million requests for files have been provided insight to the 13 locations of the authority. Last year alone, there were a total of more than 45,000. This is less than in previous years, but the interest remains the same; not only for Victims, but also for researchers. Finally, the insight into the Stasi files was "a major pillar of the education about the mechanisms of Rule of the SED dictatorship,“ says Jahn. Limitations of this there will be no: "the right to access remains on the Basis of the Stasi records law," says Jahn.

workshops for the restoration and digitization

In concept, the Jahn and Hollmann have developed on behalf of the Bundestag in the last two and a half years, it is planned to build in the former Stasi Headquarters in Berlin-Lichtenberg, an archive centre for the SED-dictatorship. Also files of other ministries and the East German authorities to be accessible. Furthermore, workshops are planned where the documents and digitized to be restored - including the Stasi-the library, the "Digital shop window" to the files. "With the Federal archives, we have a strong Partner, in order to face the challenges of the digital world and to make the archive fit," says Jahn.

in the Future, there will be instead of the twelve field offices in each of the five new länder, respectively, of the authority. At the coated locations should continue to be services such as an application.

criticism from the citizens Committee of 15. January

Dieter Dombrowski, the Federal Chairman of the Union of victim associations of Communist tyranny, is in favour of the concept, but stresses: "The appointment of a victims Commissioner by the German Bundestag remains indispensable." The Citizens Committee Of 15. January criticized, however, that the authorities own Stasi-destroyed research. As in Germany, a University intelligence research is lacking, is this destruction of Expertise nonsensical.

How much does it cost to restructuring, is not yet known. The nearly 1,500 employees, the employees of the BStU, will retain their Places also under the umbrella of the Federal archives. Finally, it could not be dispensed with on your competence as Hollmann says. When the move is done, also. The further procedure of the Bundestag is determined, therefore, after evaluation of the report, the Jahn, the President of the German Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) has passed.

Jahn plans to travel the world

archive in Lichtenberg Nearly 43,000 Times insight into Stasi files requested

the question remains Open of what is out of the office, the Jahn since 2011 clothed. "The Federal government's it representative," the 65-Year-old. Its activity ends in June 2021. Plans for the time after that Jahn already has: "I will make a trip around the world and let it go."