So far, the political commanders of the fatal shots at the Iron Curtain in what was then Czechoslovakia have escaped unscathed. Now, for the first time, a communist ex-minister is on trial.
He is the first high-ranking representative of communist Czechoslovakia to answer for the murders at the Iron Curtain before a Czech court: Vratislav Vajnar was interior minister from 1983 to 1988. During his tenure, eight people died at the border, including Hartmut Tautz from Magdeburg.
Since the 18-year-old was not allowed to study in the GDR, he tried to flee to Austria via Bratislava. “He was still 22 meters from the border when he was pulled down. (…) And then the dogs injured him so badly that he died as a result because they left him there for an hour and a half and did nothing,” he said This is how Tautz’ sister and the public prosecutor from Weiden, Upper Bavaria, describe it in the documentary “The forgotten border”, a German-Czech-Austrian co-production.
Publicist Ludek Navara says a German-Czech team has been investigating several particularly tragic cases since an advertisement was placed by the “Platform for the Remembrance and Conscience of Europe.” His research for a Czech TV series about crimes at the Iron Curtain had triggered the first investigations.
“The West German pensioner Johann Dick from Amberg was shot while hiking in German territory. He was then dragged to Czechoslovak territory while he was dying,” says Navara. He also recalls the case of Frantisek Factor: “A young man from the Czech Republic who was shot on Austrian soil and left to die at the edge of the forest.”
Charged with three deaths
The current indictment involves three deaths and three injuries. In total, at least 280 people have been proven to have been killed trying to escape, including 33 Germans. In the GDR, according to the historian Prokop Tomek, the rumor persisted that the Czechs would not shoot. “Around 1,000 people chose to cross the green border of Czechoslovakia every year, especially citizens from East Germany. Because they assumed that they would get through better here.”
Former Interior Minister Vajnar is accused of abuse of office. Prosecutor Tomáš Jarolímek explains that he should have tried to change the border regime. Because since 1976 the Civil Pact of the United Nations has also applied in the CSSR. This guarantees everyone the right to move freely across borders. Nevertheless, it took almost 30 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain before those responsible for politics came into focus.
“The investigations were started because of the discovery of new documents,” said prosecutor Jarolímek. “These prove that the accused were informed about the shots fired at the borders. At the same time, they prove that they determined which laws are to be applied.”
Originally investigations against three politicians
Originally, not only Vajnar was investigated, but also the then CP leader Miloš Jakeš and the former Prime Minister Lubomir Štrougal. But both are now deceased. Other procedures were discontinued – for example because of dementia of the accused. For this reason, the trial against the former interior minister was on the brink. However, the Czech constitutional court had doubts about the independence of its experts and declared Vajnar to be able to stand trial. He was not present at the start of the trial. His defense attorney explained that his health continued to deteriorate. He explained that he knew nothing about the incidents at the border.
So far, only four ordinary border guards have been convicted in the Czech Republic for the crimes committed at the Iron Curtain, explains historian Navara. “It was only when it became apparent that Germans were among the victims and when the German public prosecutor became active that the pressure was so high that the Czech Republic also took it seriously. The judiciary is a mirror of society still not very strong.”