The case, which had remained unsolved for decades, culminated on Monday in the conviction of “Manfred N.”, a former lieutenant in East Germany's secret police.
The prosecution had sought a 12-year sentence, but the court’s decision—delivered by Judge Bernd Miczajka—handed down 10 years. The verdict can still be appealed.
The court found that on March 29, 1974, Manfred N. acted on orders from his superiors when he shot 38-year-old Czesław Kukuczka, a Polish citizen who had threatened to bomb the Polish embassy in East Berlin. Kukuczka had demanded safe passage to West Berlin and was led to believe that his request would be granted. He was escorted to the Friedrichstrasse station, commonly known as the “Palace of Tears,” where a staged border check took place.
As Kukuczka approached the subway to West Berlin, he was shot in the back from a distance of two to three meters. It was later revealed that his suitcase contained no explosives.
Judge Miczajka emphasized that, while the murder was not personally motivated, it was carried out with "ruthless" efficiency. He also noted that Manfred N. was rewarded for his actions by the East German authorities following the incident.
The defense, however, sought an acquittal. Lawyer Andrea Liebscher argued that it had not been conclusively proven whether her client had fired the fatal shot. Manfred N. did not testify during the trial, maintaining his innocence through his lawyer.
The investigation into the case had been stagnant for decades, with a breakthrough coming only in 2016 when newly uncovered Stasi archives provided a crucial lead. Initially considered a manslaughter case, the Berlin prosecutor’s office reclassified it as “deceitful murder” in 2023, leading to the trial and eventual conviction.
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Source: IAR, PAP