Berlin court sentences former Stasi secret police officer to 10 years for 1978 border shooting

Oct. 14 (UPI) -- A former officer of the East German secret police was found guilty by a Berlin court of murder in the 1978 shooting death of a Polish citizen attempting to cross into West Berlin.

In a ruling believed to be the first of its kind against East Germany's secret police, of Stasi, could open up a wave of similar cases dating back to when the city and the country were physically divided between the Soviet Union and the West.

The officer, identified as Martin Naumann, 80, was sentenced by the court to 10 years in prison in the shooting death of Czeslaw Kukuczka. He was shot in the back while attempting to pass through the final checkpoint into West Berlin.

It was the first time a Stasi officer was found guilty of murder for his actions at the Berlin Wall since its fall. The Berlin Wall fell on Nov. 9, 1989, uniting Germany's capital for the first time since World War II.

Kukuczka lied about carrying a bomb when he entered the Polish embassy and East Berlin and demanded to be allowed to leave for West Berlin. He was taken to the joint Friedrichstrasse Station, where he had to pass through several checkpoints to the western side.

Before reaching the last checkpoint, a man walked up to him from behind and shot him in the back.

Historians connected Naumann with the shooting by reconstructing old Stasi files that had been shredded. Naumann's attorneys said since there was no physical evidence linking him to the incident, he should not be convicted.

The case against Naumann was not developed until 2021when Poland issued a European arrest warrant for him.