Bärbel Bohley
Encyclopedia
Bärbel Bohley was an East German opposition figure and artist. In 1983 she was expelled from the GDR artists federation (VBK) and was banned from travelling abroad or exhibiting her work in East Germany. She was accused of having contacts to the West German Green Party.
In 1985 she was one of the co-founders of the Initiative for Peace and Human Rights
. In 1988 she was arrested during a demonstration and expelled from the DDR. She was given a six-month visa to the United Kingdom
, and she returned to East Germany that August. In 1989 she was one of the founders of New Forum
.
After the unification of Germany in 1990 she was involved in several court trials because she publicly proclaimed Gregor Gysi
to have been a Stasi
informer. Bohley spent several days in prison because she would neither publicly retract the statement nor pay a fine.
One of her later projects was a group help project near Sarajevo
, where she put great effort into building homes in order to enable refugees to return after the armed conflicts in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Bärbel Bohley died on 11 September 2010 of lung cancer
.
In 1985 she was one of the co-founders of the Initiative for Peace and Human Rights
Initiative for Peace and Human Rights
The Initiative for Peace and Human Rights was the oldest opposition group in East Germany. It was founded at the beginning of 1986 and was independent of the churches and state...
. In 1988 she was arrested during a demonstration and expelled from the DDR. She was given a six-month visa to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and she returned to East Germany that August. In 1989 she was one of the founders of New Forum
New Forum
New Forum was a political movement in East Germany formed in the months leading up to the collapse of the East German state. It was founded in September 1989 and was the first independent political movement to be recognised by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany-led state on 8 November 1989...
.
After the unification of Germany in 1990 she was involved in several court trials because she publicly proclaimed Gregor Gysi
Gregor Gysi
Dr. Gregor Gysi is a German attorney and key politician of the socialist left-wing political party The Left . He played an important role in the end of communist rule in East Germany in 1989, and was a main figure in the post-reunification Party of Democratic Socialism...
to have been a Stasi
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
informer. Bohley spent several days in prison because she would neither publicly retract the statement nor pay a fine.
One of her later projects was a group help project near Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, where she put great effort into building homes in order to enable refugees to return after the armed conflicts in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Bärbel Bohley died on 11 September 2010 of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
.